Nandini milk price rise: Not a hike, but increase in price proportionate to increased volume, says Siddaramaiah

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah defends Nandini milk price increase, stating it's not a hike, but an additional 50 ml per sachet.

Amid sharp reactions from the Opposition following an increase in the price of Nandini milk, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has defended the move stating it is “not a hike”. He said the Karnataka Milk Federation will be charging ₹2 more for the 50 ml extra milk per sachet that will be provided to consumers.

Clarifying that there will be no increase in the price of Nandini milk, the CM said in a statement that each milk packet will now contain an additional 50 ml of milk, and the price will be proportionally increased for the increased volume.

This move by KMF was taken to ensure that dairy farmers who had surplus production were not rejected at the procurement centres, Mr. Siddaramaiah said.

Currently, the 500 ml toned milk packet of Nandini costs ₹22. Now, KMF will replace this 550 ml packet at a revised cost of ₹24. Similarly, the 1000 ml (1 litre) packet which was priced at ₹42 will now be sold as 1,050 ml sachet at ₹44.

Prices will go up for other categories of milk as well under the Nandini brand.

Taking to X, the CM said that compared to last year, milk production in Karnataka had increased by 15%. “Last year, the average daily production was 90 lakh liters, whereas this year, it has increased to an average of 99 lakh liters per day. To accommodate this surplus production and ensure farmers are not turned away, KMF has decided to increase the milk content in each packet by 50 ml, with only a ₹2 charge for the additional milk. There is no increase in the per unit price of milk,” he wrote.

Addressing last year’s ₹3 hike in milk prices, Mr. Siddaramaiah said that the additional funds collected had been utilised towards growing dairy farming in the State. “When our government came into power, the average daily milk collection in the state was around 72 lakh liters. We implemented a ₹3 increase in the milk price, directing the additional funds directly to farmers, making dairy farming more profitable. Additionally, good rainfall this year has ensured ample green fodder for cattle. Due to these factors, milk production has now reached nearly 1 crore litres per day,” he said.