Amul announced on Monday an increase in the prices of milk sold in Bengal and several other states, citing an increase in production costs.
The price rise, announced a day after the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections came to an end, will take effect in Calcutta on Tuesday and in other places in Bengal within a day or two.
An official of the Gujarat-headquartered dairy major said a 500ml pack would cost Re 1 more and a 1litre pack Rs 2 more.
Other major packaged milk producers in Calcutta are not increasing their prices immediately. Metro Dairy, a key player in the Calcutta market, admitted that the prices of raw materials were shooting up but said they had not yet decided to increase the prices.
Officials of the state government-run Mother Dairy Calcutta and Haringhata Dairy said they, too, had no plan to increase the prices.
Amul had last revised its milk prices in March 2017, according to a statement issued by the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, which sells milk and milk products under the brand name Amul.
“This increase in milk prices by Rs 2 per litre has happened after a gap of two years with an aim to provide remunerative milk purchase price to our milk producers owing to drop in milk production and increase in cost of production,” the statement reads.
In Calcutta, a 500ml pack of Amul Gold will cost Rs 27 from Tuesday. The corresponding prices of Amul Taaza, Amul Shakti and Amul Slim and Trim will be Rs 22, Rs 23 and Rs 19, respectively.
A 1litre pack of Amul Taaza will cost Rs 43 and that of Amul Slim and Trim will cost Rs 37.
Mayank Jalan, the chairman and managing director of Keventer Agro Limited, which owns Metro Dairy, said: “I can say there will be no price hike of our products till at least the end of this month. We are waiting and watching how far the raw material prices go before taking any decision.”
Anil Verma, secretary, state animal resources development department, said: “There is no plan to increase the prices of Haringhata or Mother Dairy Calcutta.” Mother Dairy Calcutta and Haringhata Dairy functions under the department.
- Additional reporting by PTI
