Biratnagar, February 25:

Biratnagar-based Dairy Distribution Project (DDP) has started distributing milk by mixing powder milk in it due to insufficient quantity of milk it is collecting. It could not collect enough milk from milk farmers due to Madhes bandh recently.

“We are unable to collect milk from farmers since January 30,” DDP chief Raj Govinda Rajkarnikar said, adding that it used to collect 40,000 litres of milk everyday in the eastern region. “Now the collection is 10,000 liters only but demand is 20,000 litres,” he said.

“The DDP has been collecting milk from Puwakhola, Biblyate, Tinghare, Kutidanda and Phikkal of Ilam; Surunga and Rajghat of Jhapa; Salakpur, Mangalbare and Tankisinwari of Morang; Itahari of Sunsari; Hile of Dhankuta, and Kanchanpur of Saptari districts,” he said. The production of curd, ghee, ice cream, butter, cheese and other dairy products is also affected.

Meanwhile, DDP’s plant that used to produce powder milk has been closed since February 13.