Farmers gain as Milkfed hikes procurement rate by Rs 20

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 21

Punjab State Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation Limited (Milkfed), which is selling over 26 milk and milk products under the brand name Verka, on Tuesday hiked the procurement rate of one kg buffalo milk fat by Rs 20 per kg to Rs 600 to dairy farmers.

After Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation raised the price of milk by Rs 2 per litre, officials at Milkfed refused to increase the rate of pouched milk.

Officials, reluctant to be quoted due to the model code of conduct in progress, said that it was the second hike of Rs 20 per kg this month. Earlier, it was hiked on May 11. The cooperative agency has to hike the procurement rate of milk after the price of cattle feed increased by Rs 100 per quintal.

This summer Milkfed is processing 1.20 lakh litre milk daily at its nine milk plants, including the one at Verka. Meanwhile, local retailers are divided over hike in the price of loose milk. Some retailers interacting with the Amritsar Tribune stated that the dairy farmers were asking them for a hike as the cost of feed had increased while the production of milk had gone down due to rising temperature.

Amritsar Milk Halwai Association president Charanjit Singh Pappu said there was no agreement among loose milk sellers in raising the price. He added that each milk seller had his own rate of selling milk of particular fat.