Chandigarh, May 24:
Considering the dire financial straits of dairy farmers in Punjab due to increase in feed and fodder prices, Punjab Co-operation Minister Mr. Harpal Singh Cheema has announced to increase the procurement price of milk by Rs 55 per kg fat. Earlier on May 21, this price was hiked by Rs 20. Now, the purchase price of milk for dairy farmers has been increased from May 21 at the rate of Rs. 55 per kg fat. However, the dairy farmers will get desired benefits but the burden will not converted on the common man at all and they will get milk at the old prices.
The decision would increase the price of cow’s milk by about Rs 2.60 per kg fat and buffalo’s milk by Rs 3.85 per kg fat.
During a meeting with a delegation of Dairy Farmers at the Secretariat here today with Co-operation Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and Dairy Development Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, they sought financial assistance to deal with ever rising prices of animal feed, fodder and other inputs. Special Chief Secretary (Cooperation) Ravneet Kaur, Additional Chief Secretary Finance KAP Sinha and Milkfed MD Kamaldeep Singh Sangha were also present in the meeting.
Co-operation Minister Mr. Cheema said that this was the first time that such financial assistance was given by the Punjab government and hence this decision was historic. He said that more concrete steps would be taken for the benefit of milk producers and consumers in future also. He said that Milkfed has always been offering high purchase prices of milk to the producers, especially during the time of COVID epidemic when private buyers had stopped buying milk and reduced the price of milk. Despite this, reasonable milk purchase rates were given to milk producers.
Managing Director, Milkfed Kamaldeep Singh Sangha said that Milkfed Punjab has already increased Rs. 20 per kg fat on March 1, 2022, Rs. 20 per kg fat on April 1, 2022 and Rs. 10 per kg fat on April 21, 2022. Now with this enhancement, a sum of Rs 105 per kg of fat has been increased in about two and a half months.
