KOCHI: The average Malayali’s day would be incomplete without a hot beverage. But this habit is set to burn a hole in people’s pockets as the price of a cup of tea or coffee has gone up by nearly 50%. The Rs 6-a-litre hike in milk prices by producers, including Milma, is seen as a key contributor.
Currently, the average price of tea and coffee is Rs 10 and Rs 15, respectively. This has jumped to Rs 15 and and Rs 20, a nearly 50% and 34% hike. “The cost of the ingredients alone that go into a cup of tea comes to around Rs 12. How then can we sell tea at current prices? The recent hike in the price of milk has put us in a difficult situation. We are planning to increase the price of a cup to tea to Rs 15 and that of coffee to Rs 20,” said Sreenivasan J, a hotel owner.
Brindavan, a vegetarian restaurant in the city, has already increased the price of tea to Rs 18 from Rs 17 and coffee to Rs 25 from Rs 23. Most small-scale shop owners TNIE spoke to said they purchase nearly 10-15 litres of milk a day and suffer a loss of Rs 300-500 on account of this.
According to hotel owners and tea vendors, the price of gas and other commodities are also contributing to the situation. “A tea maker is paid Rs 700 daily. Selling tea at Rs 10 and coffee for Rs 15 won’t even meet our expenses,” said Hakkim, who is in the hotel business in Palakkad.
The Tea Shop Owners’ Association of Tamil Nadu had hiked the price of hot beverages following the increase in milk prices in the state. Legal metrology department officials said they are helpless to intervene on the price of tea and coffee. “Since this is not a packaged product, we cannot initiate any action. That will require a government directive,” a top official said.