New Delhi, Nov 12 (IANS) Consumers on Thursday expressed concerns and dissatisfaction over the additional financial burden and its impact on their household budgets after leading dairy brands hiked milk prices.
Consumers will have to pay more for milk from Thursday after leading dairy brands Amul and Mother Dairy announced a price hike of Rs 2-4 per litre across their liquid milk variants, citing rising input and operational costs.
Both companies attributed the increase to higher expenses on fodder, cattle feed, packaging and transportation, which have added to the overall cost of milk production and distribution.
Speaking to IANS, people expressed their concerns and said that frequent price hikes have an immense impact on an individual over the year.
“This is very wrong. It is becoming very difficult for us. Milk is part of our daily routine. How will we provide milk to our children? We need milk every day. What will happen if it becomes so expensive?” a Delhi resident questioned.
Speaking to IANS, another consumer said the latest increase by Mother Dairy was particularly steep and could have a considerable impact on household expenditure over the course of a year.
“Mother Dairy has increased the price by Rs 4 at once… If you multiply that by 12 months, imagine how much of an impact it will have on an individual over the year,” the person said.
Another consumer pointed out that milk prices have been revised frequently, making it increasingly difficult for families to manage their monthly expenses.
“Every two to three months, the prices go up. This is not fair to us. It becomes difficult, and the budget for the entire month gets affected,” the consumer said.
Expressing concern over the continued rise in the cost of essential commodities, another Delhi resident said that increasing prices were becoming difficult to cope with, particularly when incomes were not rising at the same pace.
“Inflation is rising. How can we go on like this? People are not earning much, and the price for everything is going up. This is unfair,” the resident said.
Another person, speaking to IANS, said the latest increase appeared considerably higher than previous revisions and called on the government to introduce measures to regulate milk prices, given that it is an essential item consumed by people across all age groups.
“This time, the hike seems quite high. Earlier, prices used to increase by Re 1 at a time, but now they have directly increased by Rs 4. This is putting a burden on people as inflation continues to rise. The government should take steps to control it. There should definitely be a policy on this because everyone, from infants and young children to the elderly, needs milk. It is a necessity for all, so the government should formulate a policy to regulate its prices,” the person said.
–IANS
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