Bhubaneswar, Oct 2: Milk prices under the Odisha State Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation (Omfed) will increase by Rs 2 per litre from October 4, putting an additional burden on consumers.
Omfed Premium milk, which was earlier priced at Rs 58 per litre, will now cost Rs 60 per litre. Accordingly, the price of a 500-ml packet will increase to Rs 30.
Similarly, Omfed Gold, one of the federation’s highest-selling milk varieties, will be available at Rs 62 per litre, following a Rs 2 hike. The price of Gold Plus milk has been increased to Rs 66 per litre, while Toned milk will now cost Rs 58 per litre.
The decision was taken at an Omfed management committee meeting held on Thursday. The meeting, chaired by the Omfed chairman, discussed the proposed revision in milk prices in detail.
According to Omfed, rising fuel prices in the global market have led to a significant increase in the production and transportation costs of agricultural commodities. In view of the rising input costs, milk producers were given an additional Rs 2 per litre from September 9.
However, the milk price hike comes despite an earlier assurance from the concerned minister that the additional cost would not be passed on to consumers and that Omfed would bear the burden itself.
This is the second milk price hike by Omfed in five months. In May, the federation had increased milk prices by Rs 3-4 per litre. The latest hike is expected to directly impact household budgets, as milk is a daily essential for consumers.
The increase is also likely to affect tea stalls and small eateries, which may face higher operating costs amid rising prices of other essential commodities, including sugar.
