Gokul's buffalo milk price up Rs 3 in Mumbai, Pune

KOLHAPUR: From Friday, the state's largest cooperative dairy, Gokul, will hike the price of buffalo milk to Rs 69 per litre (up Rs 3) in Mumbai and Pune, citing the war in Ukraine and drought in milk-producing nations.
Gokul dairy has decided to increase the sale price of buffalo milk by Rs 3 per litre. However, the price of cow milk remains unchanged. Gokul's milk in Mumbai and Pune will cost Rs 69 per litre Friday onwards.
The dairy has increased the prices six times, Rs 9 per litre in total, in the past one-and-a-half years.
Recently Amul, India's largest cooperative dairy based in Gujarat, too had increased milk price by Rs 2 per litre. The price hike was effective for all states, barring Gujarat.
Kolhapur Zilla Sahakari Dudh Utpadak Sangh, popularly known as Gokul dairy, collects around 13.5 lakh litre of milk from within the Kolhapur district and 2 lakh litre from outside. The dairy's total daily sale is of around 15 lakh litre, of which, 10 lakh litre is sold in Mumbai alone. The dairy gets around 70% buffalo milk, and cow milk makes up for the rest.
Gokul authorities claim the dairy is trying to increase collection by offering a good price to dairy farmers. Accordingly, it has decided to increase the procurement price of buffalo milk by Rs 2 per litre.
Vishwas Patil, the chairman of the state's largest cooperative dairy, said, "Due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the drought in several milk-producing nations, milk production has declined. The demand for milk powder has increased. We cannot fulfil the milk powder demand unless we increase collection."
"In order to facilitate iincrease in milk collection, we are increasing the procurement price. To compensate for it, we are increasing the sale price of milk ," Patil said.