Kerala: Milma hikes price of milk by Rs 6 from December 1

Thiruvananthapuram, November 24, 2022

Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (KCMMF) has decided to raise the price of milk, sold by it under the brand name of Milma, by Rs 6 per litre from December 1.

KCMMF Chairman K S Mani said thhe decision was taken in view of the steady increase in the input cost and the financial difficulties of the dairy farmers.

The price increase comes three years after the last hike in 2019, when Milma had raised the price by Rs 4 per litre.

"At that time, 83.75 per cent (Rs 3.35) of the additional amount went to the farmers,” Mani said. “That proportion will continue this time as well. That means Rs 5.025 of the six rupees will go to the farmer.”

The decision to raise the price comes after a Milma-appointed panel comprising experts from the state’s veterinary and agriculture universities conducted a study on expenses incurred by the dairy farmers. The committee said in its interim report submitted last week that the farmers suffered an estimated loss of Rs 8.57 per litre of milk.

Subsequently, the Milma Board of Directors convened a meeting and found that a hike in the milk price was inevitable, Mani said. “Though Milma is authorised to increase the price, the Board's decision was discussed with the Government and a suitable hike was finalised,” he added.

Along with a fresh hike in procurement prices, the milk cooperatives and distributors will each get 5.75 per cent of the new price-rise, while 0.75 per cent of the amount will go to the Dairy Farmers Welfare Fund Board. Milma will get 3.50 per cent of the increased amount even as 0.50 per cent has been earmarked for the Plastic Elimination Fund.

Besides the rise in the cooperative federation’s milk procurement prices, the government has been giving various subsidies to the farmers. The present hike in the milk procurement price will benefit the milk producers, wooing more of them to join the dairy sector, Mani said.

Established in 1980, Milma is a state cooperative society with its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram.

NNN