Dairy farmers yesterday demanded the government hike the import duty on powdered milk by 50 percent and also impose anti-dumping duty in upcoming the budget for the sake of the domestic industry.

An anti-dumping duty is a protectionist tariff that a government imposes on foreign imports that it believes are priced below fair market value.

“The price of imported milk is cheaper than our locally produced ones because its quality is very low and the farmers of exporting countries get subsidy from their government,” said Mohammad Shah Emran, general secretary of Bangladesh Dairy Farmers’ Association, at a press conference.

The event was organised by Bangladesh Dairy Farmers’ Association and National Dairy Development Forum. 

“So, such import has created an unfair competition, which is destroying a booming sector.”

Subsequently, he urged for increasing the price of milk to Tk 70 per litre from existing Tk 30 to 35. 

The farmers’ other demands include price fixing of milk, constructing milk chilling centres across the country and zero duty on cattle feed. Local milk production increased threefold in the last 10 years, according to Emran.

Thousands of young entrepreneurs are joining for the sector’s enhanced potential. So the government now should provide subsidies and other privilege, which will create a lot of employment, he added.

Md Imran Hossain, president of the association; Umme Kulsum, president of the forum; and Mustafizur Rahman, additional general manager of Milk Vita, also spoke.