Karnataka to Decide on Milk Procurement Price Hike After Farmers' Demand

Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has indicated that the government will take a call on the long-standing demand for a higher milk procurement price, saying a meeting with representatives of milk producers' unions will be convened shortly.

Speaking to reporters at Balehonnur in N.R. Pura taluk of Chikkamagaluru district on Saturday, he noted that milk prices had gone up by ₹9 to ₹10 in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, and that producers in Karnataka were pressing for a similar revision. Any increase in the procurement price would also translate into higher retail prices for consumers.

The Chief Minister said he was aware of the difficulties faced by dairy farmers as fodder costs climb. He observed that because neighbouring States pay more, a larger share of Karnataka's milk is being routed to them, leaving cooperative societies in the State to bear losses.

The demand has gathered momentum over the past week. In Bengaluru, the Karnataka Milk Producers' Association submitted a memorandum and met Karnataka Milk Federation officials, seeking an immediate hike of ₹8 per litre.

Campaigning for the same cause, Shivamogga District Central Cooperative Bank chairperson R.M. Manjunath Gowda, addressing a public meeting in Tirthahalli earlier in the day, urged the Chief Minister to raise milk prices. He argued that people readily pay ₹50 for a litre of water but object when milk prices rise, and said the government should act keeping farmers' circumstances in mind. Milk producers have also planned a protest on the issue next week.