Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said Nandini milk prices could be reduced if the Centre lowers the price of Gujarat-based Amul milk, linking any change in the state’s retail rates to the national pricing decision. He made the statement at a Cooperative Week event in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Shivakumar said Amul milk currently costs ₹62 per litre and claimed that Nandini milk remains cheaper. His remarks came amid opposition from BJP leaders, including Union minister Shobha Karandlaje, to the recent increase in milk prices in Karnataka.
The chief minister said the price increase was intended to ensure that dairy farmers received better returns and that milk producers’ livelihoods improved. He criticised BJP leaders opposing the increase and questioned whether they understood the work involved in cattle rearing and dairy production.
“ If the Prime Minister reduces the price of Amul milk, it will also be reduced in Karnataka,” Shivakumar said, according to Prajavani. The statement places the immediate question of Nandini pricing within the wider relationship between consumer prices, farmer payments and the cooperative structure through which milk is collected and supplied in the state.
Shivakumar said around 25 lakh farmers in Karnataka are members of milk producers’ cooperative societies. He said milk is supplied through these societies and that the government provides an incentive of ₹5 to producers. According to him, this support is intended to provide significant assistance to farmers’ economic lives.
The chief minister was speaking while inaugurating the 73rd Cooperative Week programme organised by the Karnataka State Cooperative Federation in Banashankari. The event also included the presentation of “Sahakara Ratna” awards to cooperatives serving in different fields.
The milk price debate affects two connected groups: households that buy Nandini products and dairy farmers who depend on cooperative procurement and state support. The price of milk therefore involves more than a retail decision. It also reflects how Karnataka’s cooperative institutions distribute payments, incentives and operating responsibilities across the dairy supply chain.
Shivakumar’s comments did not announce a new Nandini price or provide a date for a reduction. Instead, he made any reduction conditional on a corresponding cut in Amul’s price. The statement also did not specify whether the government had begun a formal review of Nandini’s retail rates.
At the event, Cooperation Minister K.N. Rajanna, Karnataka State Cooperative Federation president G.T. Devegowda and other officials and cooperative representatives were present. Shivakumar also referred to the political influence of the cooperative sector and said institutional interests and service were being prioritised over politics in cooperative organisations.
The next change in Nandini pricing will therefore depend on a formal decision by the relevant authorities. Until then, the chief minister’s position is that Karnataka’s prices should remain linked to the comparative price of Amul milk and the returns available to the state’s dairy producers.
