Karnataka Government Increases Milk Price by ₹4, Farmers to Benefit from Additional Earnings

The Karnataka government has announced a ₹4 per litre increase in the selling price of Nandini milk and curd, effective from April 1. The decision, aimed at supporting dairy farming by accounting for the rising costs of milk production and processing, was taken during a Cabinet meeting led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday.

Following the meeting, Karnataka Minister for Animal Husbandry K Venkatesh confirmed the price hike while addressing the media. He stated that the increase was intended to ensure that the revised price benefits milk producers directly. Additionally, he noted that the previously implemented ₹2 per litre price hike on June 26, 2024, would be withdrawn, with the revised ₹4 hike being applied uniformly across 500 ml and one-litre packages.

Karnataka Minister HK Patil, when asked about the Cabinet discussions on the price increase, mentioned that the final decision would be taken by the Karnataka Cooperative Milk Producers' Federation Limited (KMF) in consultation with relevant ministers. He indicated that the announcement could be made within a day or two.

The decision drew strong criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which took to social media to denounce the move. In a post on X, BJP Karnataka called the Congress government "anti-poor," accusing it of burdening citizens with rising prices while ignoring long-pending milk subsidies for farmers. The party further alleged that the government was prioritizing unrelated expenditures over the welfare of farmers.

BJP Karnataka president Vijayendra Yediyurappa also slammed the decision, stating that the Congress government was continuously imposing price hikes on the people. He claimed that after struggling to manage its welfare schemes, the government was resorting to frequent price increases, adding to the financial strain on citizens already burdened by rising costs of essentials such as water, electricity, and transportation. Yediyurappa termed the ₹4 milk price hike as "daylight robbery," criticizing the government for making life more expensive for the common man.