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SMPA demands downward revision of milk prices

KARACHI: Sind Milk Producers Association (SMPA) on Sunday demanded the downward revision of milk prices in the city which have artificially been pushed up by retailers.

The General Secretary of the Association, Aal-e-Ahmed, said in an interview that the President of the Association, Mohammad Rehan, had written to the Commissioner, Karachi, that milk production cost has slippped downward due to which milk suppliers are in a position to sell milk at half the rate it is being sold now. The wholesale average rate of milk was Rs 400 per 40 kg (Rs 10/litre) during last three months but, he alleged, the retailers continued to sell milk for Rs 22 per litre.

He said as compared to last year, the prices of buffaloes had gone down by 30 percent cottonseed cake is available at 40 percent less price whereas the prices of other ingredients used in cattle feed have also gone down by 30 percent necessitating the re-fixation of milk prices for consumers' benefit.

He allged that huge quantity of milk was being drained out by dairy farmers of cattle colony at Landhi in order to create artificial shortage.

He alleged that dairy farmers are intending to raise the prices of milk in March for which they are trying to create artificial shortage on the one hand and terrorising the SMPA members through administration.

Ahmed said that around 450,000 litres milk is supplied daily from interior Sindh and sold at Lea Market whereas Dairy Farmers Association, Karachi, supplies around 1.95 million litres milk per day. A small portion of the population uses powder milk whereas the use of 'tetrapack' and canned milk is mainly consumed by upper income groups.

He said that milk collected from the villages at around Rs 6 to 8 per litre and frozen by the collectors before sending the same to Karachi is sold at the rate of Rs 8 to 10 in wholesale and Rs 10 to Rs 12 in retail in the Lea Market.

He said the dairy farmers have propagated that heavy chemicals are being used by the milk suppliers from interior Sindh which is injurious to human health. He added that the use of chemical can be detected through chemical analysis of the milk and SMPA has no objection on such analysis.

He said that milk collected from the interior is frozen and low temperature is used for pasteurising it. "Our milk is pure and bears half price as compared to the dairy farmers' milk sold throughout the city.ÑAPP