Dairy farmers asked milk manufacturers Wednesday to pay them more for raw milk because the rising cost of livestock feed is threatening their livelihood.
The farmers are demanding a hike of around ¥10 per kilogram, backed by an increase in retail prices sometime in October. But the talks are in a stalemate, officials said.
Milk prices rose ¥3 nationwide in April — the first increase in 30 years. But the relief provided by the hike was just like "pouring water onto a burning stone," said Hirofumi Maeda of the Japan Dairy Council. It vaporized.