Karnataka’s milk cooperatives have urged the state government to raise the purchase and selling price of Nandini milk by ₹10 per litre, a demand that could increase the cost of the state’s widely used packaged milk if approved.
The demand was raised at the general meeting of the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) on Friday, according to a report by Prajavani. Representatives from most of the state’s milk unions who attended the meeting supported pressing the government for the increase. A delegation is expected to submit the demand again to Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Saturday.
Officials have also prepared a report recommending a revision of milk prices, and the report is expected to be submitted to the chief minister along with the unions’ demand. A meeting with Shivakumar has reportedly been scheduled for 10am on Saturday, according to sources cited in the report.
The final decision will rest with the state government. Sources indicated that an increase of ₹10 per litre was unlikely and that the government could approve an increase of up to ₹5 instead. The report did not indicate that any price revision had been finalised.
The demand follows a request made by a delegation of cooperative milk producers’ unions to the chief minister on Tuesday. The delegation had sought an increase of ₹8 to ₹10 per litre. In response, the chief minister asked officials to provide comprehensive information covering the previous 10 years, including changes in cattle-feed prices, the cost of milk production, purchase and selling prices, and milk prices in neighbouring states.
The pricing question connects household expenditure with the financial pressures facing Karnataka’s cooperative dairy network. A higher purchase price could improve returns to milk producers, while a corresponding increase in the selling price would affect consumers. The material supplied in the report does not specify the current purchase price paid to producers, the proposed revised price structure, or the number of consumers and producers who would be affected.
Nandini milk’s selling price was last increased by ₹4 per litre in April last year. The current price of Nandini milk is ₹46 per litre, according to the report. If the government accepts the full ₹10 proposal, the selling price would rise substantially from the present level, although the report does not say whether any increase would be applied uniformly across all Nandini products or only to a specific milk category.
The government’s request for a decade of price, cost and neighbouring-state data means the decision is being considered through a review of production economics and market comparisons. The next immediate step is the scheduled meeting with the chief minister and submission of the officials’ report, after which the government is expected to decide whether to approve a price increase and determine its scale.
