BENGALURU: Starting Thursday, pay more for milk and curd as the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) Board on Wednesday decided to increase the price of the two dairy products by Rs 2. With this, the price of Nandini toned milk will go up to Rs 39 per litre and curd to Rs 47 per litre.
KMF had placed the demand before the government to increase the prices by Rs 3 sometime ago. But Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had to intervene as the move attracted intense criticism. He later held a meeting with KMF officials and asked them not to go for a steep hike and to ensure that it does not cause losses to farmers or become a burden to consumers. KMF had then sought one day to decide.
KMF stated that they are only the second state in the country to pay the highest compensation to farmers. For every Re 1 collected from consumers, 79 paise is paid to farmers. On an average, Rs 28 crore is handed out to farmers every day.
In the last two years, the cost of maintaining cattle has gone up. “Keeping the welfare of farmers in mind, it has become necessary to increase the price of milk. The Karnataka milk price is lower compared to other states and also cheaper than other brands,” it said. The last time the price of milk and curd was increased was in February 2020.