Milk prices set to increase in north India: Pawar (Lead)
January 20th, 2010 - 8:54 pm ICT by IANS
New Delhi, Jan 20 (IANS) Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar Wednesday indicated that the price of milk would increase in north India on account of a dip in production.
“A major problem we are facing is the insufficient availability of milk, particularly in northern India,” Pawar said in his address at the national conference of state ministers of animal husbandry and dairy here.
“There is a gap of 18 lakh tonnes between demand and the current milk supply,” he added even while maintaining that the government was looking into the issue of price rise.
The minister’s statement has come as a shock for many people.
“Food prices are skyrocketing and now the government is planning to increase the milk price. It was increased in Delhi in October, and now again. This is really going to upset the monthly budget,” said Kamla Sharma, a housewife.
Added Ram Kishan, a rickshaw-puller in Moti Bagh: “I have a family of eight and I am the only earning member. It is getting difficult to feed my children as prices of flour, vegetables and pulses are already so high. I will only have to cut down on milk.”
Earlier in the day, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation, led by senior leader L.K. Advani and president Nitin Gadkari, met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his 7, Race Course Road residence to “convey the concern of the people” on the rising prices of food articles.
The prime minister has also called a meeting of chief ministers here Jan 27 to discuss the issue.
The major supplier of milk in Delhi — Mother Dairy — had last October increased the price of its full cream and toned variants by Rs.2 and Rs.1 a litre, saying the drought had hit supplies.
However, prices of bulk-vended milk, double-toned milk and skimmed milk was left untouched.
Presently, a one-litre polypack of full-cream milk costs Rs.28 and toned milk Rs.22.
Prices of different variant of Mother diary milk in Delhi per litre:
- Full cream in polypacks - Rs.28
- Toned in poly-packs - Rs.22
- Bulk-vended token milk - Rs.20
- Double-toned milk - Rs.19
- Mother Dairy hikes milk prices - Sep 10, 2011
- Decision on milk prices taken by state federations: Pawar - Mar 22, 2010
- Consumers angry over hike in milk prices - Mar 20, 2010
- And now, milk price set to increase in Karnataka - Jan 14, 2011
- Costlier milk pinches Delhiites - Mar 20, 2010
- Pawar urges states to increase milk production - Nov 18, 2011
- Milk to cost Rs.2 more in Karnataka from Tuesday - Feb 14, 2011
- Vijayakant to fast Nov 24 against price hikes - Nov 21, 2011
- '2.7 bn consumers in developing countries dairy industry's next big opportunity' - May 07, 2012
- Taj city goes without milk - Mar 23, 2012
- Ice cream manufacturers seek tax reduction - Jul 11, 2011
- Food inflation to come down in coming weeks: Sharad Pawar - Jul 09, 2010
- DS Group acquires dairy plant in Rajasthan - May 02, 2012
- Milk prices up by Rs.3 a litre in Karnataka - Apr 07, 2010
- Milk prices up by Rs.2 in Bihar - Dec 30, 2010
Tags: agriculture minister, animal husbandry, bharatiya janata party, chief ministers, cream milk, food articles, l k advani, manmohan singh, milk price, milk prices, monthly budget, north india, northern india, polypack, prime minister manmohan, prime minister manmohan singh, ram kishan, rickshaw puller, sharad pawar, state ministers