Milk producer protests against low purchase price of milk

Stanislav Ivanita, private cow owner from Corbu village of Drochia district, protested on Thursday in the Great National Assembly Square against the low price paid by the processing companies for milk. He demanded that the authorities subsidize the private cow owners with 0.5 lei per a liter of milk so that they could cover their expenses. The small entrepreneur complained that the milk processing companies buy the milk for 1.50 lei, as against 3.50 lei last year. ”I protest against the low price of milk. I keep several cows and I don’t want to slaughter them as I want to work at home and maintain my children. I want that the state provide a subsidy of at least 0.5 lei per a liter of milk for the producers to cover the costs,” Stanislav Ivanita has told Info-Prim Neo. The producer says that the price paid by the processing factories does not cover at least the costs for keeping the cows. “I spend a lot of money on fodder, vaccines and the cowherd. In addition, I have to sell eight liters of milk per a liter of diesel oil to bring the fodder home,” Ivanita said. After cow owners from a number of settlements protested in Chisinau last week, demanding that the Government regulate the price of milk, the Council on Product at its last meeting set the reference price of the milk bought from private cow owners. The price is at least 2 lei/kg in August, 2.2 lei/kg in September, 3 lei/kg – in October and 3.5 lei/kg in December. The milk of a low quality will be purchased at negotiable prices.