The Karachi milk sector increased the price of loose milk and yogurt by Rs10 per litre and Rs20 per kilogram, respectively.
The new price of loose milk is Rs140 per litre and one kilogram of yogurt is available for Rs220.
According to spokesperson for the milk retailers association Waheed Gaddi
“Out of over 10,000 shops in Karachi, the new rates have been implemented in 80% shops,” he claimed.
This is the second price hike of the milk and yogurt in the current year by the Karachi iMilk Sector.
He said under the prevailing market conditions the retailers became bound to raise prices as they could not resist the forced increase in prices by the wholesalers.
Meanwhile, Dairy Cattle Farmers Association (DCFA) president Shakir Gujjar claimed that his association had no role in jacking up the loose milk rate. “Wholesalers have increased the price,” he alleged.
Government Actions on Price Hike
In the third week of September, the Sindh High Court had directed the Karachi commissioner to sit together with officials of the Sindh Food Authority (SFA) and representatives of milk associations and chalk out a plan to ensure the quality of fresh milk as well as its sale at official price.
A two-judge bench headed by Justice Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro also asked the commissioner to submit a proper statement containing guidelines approved on Oct 21.
On the previous hearing, an assistant commissioner had assured the court that milk would be sold at notified rates in the city. However, when the bench took up a set of petitions about milk price and its quality, the official was found absent without any intimation.
The bench had said that reports submitted by the authorities concerned suggested contrary and conceded the fact that notified price of milk was not being maintained.
