State Govt Proposes to Hike Nandini Milk Prices by Rs 2-3 a Litre
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bangalore, Jan 28: A day after announcing plans for selling rice and wheat at subsidised prices through Janata Bazars and government-run cooperative societies from February 1 as part of the efforts to curb the spiralling prices of the foodgrains, the B S Yeddyurappa regime has proposed to hike Nandini milk price by Rs 2 to 3 a litre.
The Yeddyurappa-led BJP regime, who made it prestige issue to oust JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda’s elder son and former minister H D Revanna from the chairmanship of the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) and install Bellary mining lord and Tourism and Infrastructure Minister G Janardhana Reddy’s brother G Somashekara Reddy, has now directed the apex body to work out a detailed proposal on the hike.
Karnataka’s Cooperation Minister Laxman S Savadi, who addressed a news conference in Bangalore on Thursday, disclosed that the KMF has mooted the proposal to hike in the wake of reduction of its profits.
Keeping in view the interests of consumers and famers, the Department has asked the KMF to come out with a written proposal on the hike. If the proposal is okayed, he said milk price was likely to go up by Rs 2 or Rs 3 a litre.
Nandini milk is priced between Rs 16 and Rs 22 a litre, depending on the fat content, the minister said pointing out that the price was the lowest among the southern states.
Savadi said the price hike was essential as producers were burdened by rising production costs which make dairy farming unviable.
The benefit of price hike would be shared between the farmers and the KMF at the ratio 70:30. Out of 14 milk unions in the State, the profits of Gulbarga and Belgaum district milk unions declined sharply, the minister said.
The price of Nandini milk was last hiked by Rs 2 a litre in November 2007.
KMF’s attempts to increase milk prices were stalled last year by the Government, which instead announced Rs 2 a litre as incentive for farmers.
The minister said an order has been issued for holding elections to management committees of all primary, federal and apex cooperatives in the State.
Elections to management committees of primary cooperative societies would be held before March 22, federal cooperatives before April 10 and apex bodies by April 29, he added.