Many consumers on Tuesday expressed unhappiness over the Karnataka Milk Federation’s (KMF) decision to charge extra for the additional milk it is going to provide in each packet, as they said it would entail them shelling out extra money daily.
The KMF and the State government have denied there has been a price hike and claimed it was only a rationalisation, as the KMF will give 50 ml extra in every packet of Nandini milk and the price would be proportionally increased by ₹2.
“We had not asked them to give us extra milk as for years we have been happy with the regular quantity. After a price hike in 2023, why should the government impose an extra expenditure on us in this way? At a time when the prices of all commodities, including fuel, vegetables and even foodgrains, are going up, what was the need for this unasked-for arrangement?” questioned Srinivas V., a private employee from Banashankari here.
For smaller, nuclear families, the extra quantity of milk might go unused. “We are a family of two people and even half-litre milk is sometimes more for us. Milk is not something you can store for a long time. So, what is the point of paying an extra of almost ₹60 to ₹70 a month and it not being useful in any way?” said Vidya Ravi, a senior citizen from Attur Layout.
Hoteliers on the other hand said this would not count as a price hike for them as they get extra milk. “Nandini provides the best quality milk at the lowest price in the country. The hotel industry is one of their biggest customers. While we do not understand why the price and quantity of milk has been increased, we believe the milk price has not been hiked. Hence, we will take a call on whether to increase prices (at hotels) or not after further discussion,” said P.C. Rao, president of the Bruhat Bengaluru Hoteliers’ Association.
