Maharashtra asks milk cooperatives to slash prices for consumers

In a major relief to more than one crore families in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), state dairy development minister Eknath Khadse on Thursday asked milk cooperatives to slash the maximum retail price (MRP) for packaged milk by Rs 2-5 a litre.

In a major relief to more than one crore families in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), state dairy development minister Eknath Khadse on Thursday asked milk cooperatives to slash the maximum retail price (MRP) for packaged milk by Rs 2-5 a litre. The dairy development department has also threatened strict action, if milk cooperatives don’t pay dairy farmers minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 20 a litre.

The MMR consumes more than 70 lakh litres of packaged milk daily. The order on the support price was issued on Tuesday, following which milk cooperatives were expected to raise the MRP and pass the burden on to the consumers. However, the state’s directive on Thursday will give consumers the much-needed respite.

“Our farmers are paid Rs 26.70 a litre as average milk price. After paying other costs and salaries, we are left with hardly any margin to reduce our MRP,” said DV Ghanekar, MD, Gokul.

“The state should appoint experts committee to study the issue,” said Shirish Deshpande, chairman, Mumbai Grahak Panchayat.