Dairy farmers in Qinghai dump milk because of falling prices  

(ECNS) – Falling milk prices have led some dairy farmers in Northwest China's Qinghai province to dump milk and sell their cows in order to avoid greater losses.

"It was 1.8 yuan ($0.29) per 0.5 kilogram last year while the amount fell to 0.8 yuan this year, less than it costs to produce," said Han Yuliang, a dairy farmer in Datong county, a major milk producer in Qinghai.

Han was paid 44 yuan for 27.5 kilograms of milk each day, but it cost him more than 70 yuan to produce the milk. The farmer was desperate, adding that "milk is even cheaper than mineral water now. I can no longer afford to raise cows."

There are 45,500 cattle in Datong, 99 percent of which are raised by farmers like Han. Milk sales are their main source of revenue.

Han Qiang, General Manager of Tianlu Dairies, the biggest milk processor in Qinghai, said the company reduced the volume purchased from farmers because they still milk by hand, making it difficult for them to guarantee quality.

According to a report by Beijing Times on Wednesday, some farmers were seen milking into dirty buckets from which fowls drank.

Farmers pour the fresh milk down the drain if they are not able to sell it.