Chitwan Milk Industry Closed for Three Months Due to Milk Shortage

Chitwan Milk Industry has been closed for the past three months due to a shortage of milk. The industry, which used to process milk from dairy farms and cooperatives to produce powder and ghee, has been unable to operate due to the lack of milk supply.

According to Durga Parajuli, the manager of the industry, the factory used to collect milk from dairy farms and cooperatives and process it into powder and ghee. However, due to the shortage of milk, the industry has been closed since Baisakh.

Parajuli stated that the industry had to close down during Ashar and Shrawan last year due to a milk shortage, but this year it has been closed since Vaisakh. The industry has a stock of around 1,000 bags of powder milk, but the ghee stock has almost run out.

In previous years, the industry used to have a stock of 500 tons of ghee and 6,000 bags of powder milk during this time. Milk used to come from Chitwan, Makwanpur, Nawalparasi, and Rupandehi districts. The industry is located in Thimura, Bharatpur Metropolitan City-1.

The industry has been processing milk from dairy farms and cooperatives since 2075 BS, charging Rs 113 per liter for powder milk and Rs 55 per kilo for ghee. Parajuli said that they are waiting for the milk supply to resume from Bhadra.

The industry has 33 employees and was established in 2064 BS. It was closed after the 2072 BS earthquake and had been processing milk on its own before that.

Kishor Bagale, the president of the Chitwan District Dairy Producers Cooperative Union, stated that the milk from the border areas is being smuggled into India, resulting in a shortage of milk in Nepal. He added that the farmers are getting a good price for their milk, which is why they are selling it to India.