State cooperative Milkfed has decided to raise retail prices of Verka brand milk by Re 1 per litre in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh from Thursday.
Milkfed has decided to raise retail milk price by Re 1 a litre of three variants, including single toned, double toned and standard, Managing Director B S Sidhu said here today.
After the hike, standard variety would cost Rs 33 a litre, single toned Rs 30 a litre and double-toned milk Rs 27 a litre in Punjab.
The price of full-cream milk, however, remains the same at Rs 36 a litre in Punjab.
Punjab State Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation (Milkfed) also announced raising milk procurement price by Rs 20 per kg fat from August 11 for two months in order to give relief from increase in cattle feed cost.
About 6,000 dairy farmers from Punjab on August 3 had threatened to stop milk supply to Milkfed if milk procurement price for farmers is not hiked. They rued that 35 per cent hike in cattle feed cost in the last one month was threatening the viability of dairy business.
“We have decided to give relief to dairy farmers in view of the increase in cattle feed cost. We will raise milk procurement rate by Rs 20 per kg fat,” Sidhu said.
He further said the new rate will be applicable for two months.
However, farmers under the banner of Progressive Dairy Farmers Association (PDFA) were demanding Rs 485 per kg fat as milk procurement rate against Rs 405 per kg fat which they are getting at present. Milkfed raised milk procurement rate from Rs 395 per kg fat to Rs 405 in September last year.
PDFA contribute about 35 per cent in total milk procurement by Milkfed. Milkfed is currently procuring total of 8 lakh litres per day.
The association had rued that because of drought-like conditions prevailing in the region, the cattle feed and fodder cost have gone by up to 35 per cent in the last one month, making extremely difficult to even pay loan installments.
Prices of deoiled rice bran jumped from Rs 700 per quintal in June to Rs 1,050 a quintal while price of mustard cake shot up from 1,500 per quintal to Rs 2,100 a quintal. Similarly, cost of deoiled mustard cake and soybean jumped to Rs 1,800 and 4,200 per quintal in just one month, farmers had said.
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