By Sahadev Basnet, Jajrkot, Feb 26: Buffalo farmers in Bheri Municipality of the district are getting despaired because they are bearing loss every day for the lack of market for their produce, milk.

Makar Nepali, a buffalo farmer of Ransi in Bheri Municipality-2, produces about 20 liters of milk from the animal husbandry that he started last year under the programme to promote milk production. "I am thinking about giving up this because I have no knowledge and skill to make milk products except for ghee, and there is no market for milk here. It is a loss business to be able to make only ghee from milk and sell it."

Khalanga, the district headquarters, is far away from his village and the nearby market area is too small to consume the amount of milk Nepali produces.

Similarly, Tulasi Basnet of Kalegaun of ward no 1 of the same municipality expressed frustration for the milk produced from his farm has no market. "I am disenchanted with this business of milk production as there is no market and nobody has taken initiative to resolve our problems. We have to invest every day for milk production in the form of fodder to the buffalos, but we get no return from the investment."

Indra Bahadur Batala of the same village has the same disappointing story to share. "The government provided some grants to promote buffalo farming, but it failed to ensure a market for our produce. We are at a loss for the lack of market. I visit household to household to sell milk."

Jar Bahadur Bhakri, Chief of veterinary hospital and livestock development center, informed that preparations were made for establishing a dairy for purchasing milk of the farmers. He said that a local Kasturi Cooperatives has been selected to run the dairy and programme in this regard has already been approved.