Dairy cooperative unions across Karnataka have formally approached the state administration requesting an upward revision in the procurement and retail tariffs of Nandini milk by Rs 8 to Rs 10 per litre. Facing escalating input expenditures and shrinking operational margins, a delegation representing milk federations convened with Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar at the Vidhana Soudha on Tuesday to lay out their grievances and justify the necessity of an immediate price correction.
Chief Minister Orders Ten-Year Cost Review Across Districts
In response to the federation's submission, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar directed government departments to gather exhaustive data tracking financial shifts over the past ten years. Officials must compile figures detailing fluctuations in cattle feed pricing, the comprehensive production cost per litre, overall output volumes, local retail sales, and the actual quantities procured by cooperative unions across each individual district.
According to an official release from the Chief Minister's Office, the state leadership is keen on benchmarking local rates against broader market dynamics before arriving at a final resolution. Consequently, the administration has also sought a detailed report on both procurement compensation and consumer retail prices prevailing across neighbouring states.
Surging Feed and Healthcare Costs Strain Rural Cattle Keepers
D.K. Suresh, who heads the Bangalore Urban, Rural, and Ramanagara District Co-operative Milk Producers Societies Union Limited, highlighted the severe distress felt by milk producers at the ground level. He observed that dramatic cost inflation across essential items, including commercial feed, green fodder, veterinary medicines, and general livestock maintenance, has driven dairy farming expenses to an unsustainable threshold.
Describing the challenges triggered by harsh weather conditions, D.K. Suresh noted that, "सूखे की मौजूदा स्थिति के कारण फसल के नुकसान से किसानों की आय में भारी गिरावट आई है और चारे की कम उपलब्धता के कारण डेयरी किसानों को कठिनाइयों का सामना करना पड़ रहा है।" He pointed out that rural families who rely on livestock to cushion agricultural failures are currently facing dual economic pressure.
Prices Unchanged for Eighteen Months Amid Rising Regional Benchmarks
The union leadership noted that cooperatives and private dairies in numerous other regions have routinely escalated prices of milk and associated value-added products. In contrast, Karnataka's milk federations kept consumer interests at the forefront and held Nandini milk rates completely steady for the last eighteen months, absorbing market shocks internally.
Recent price adjustments elsewhere in the country underline these cost pressures. For instance, the Bombay Milk Producers Association introduced a sharp hike of Rs 9 per litre on wholesale dairy supplies originating from farms and processing units in Mumbai, effective 1 September 2026. That structural revision pushed the price from Rs 93 to Rs 102 per litre, driven entirely by the spiralling expenses associated with fodder availability and daily cattle upkeep.
