As the price hike for Nandini dairy products, including milk, curd, and buttermilk, kicked in on Tuesday, August 1, many customers were confused about the actual hike, while others were worried about expanding their weekly budget.
There was confusion among customers who purchased milk in the morning as the updated prices were mentioned only on the packets that arrived in the afternoon. “The revised milk price is confusing. I thought that the price rose by ₹3 a litre across the board, but I paid ₹48 for two half-litre packets. I had paid ₹44 for them yesterday,” said Sudarshan, a media professional.
The Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) announced that the price of Nandini milk will rise by ₹3 a litre from August 1. However, the MRP of a half-litre packet has gone up by ₹2. So, those buying two half-litre packets have to pay ₹4 more. The price of the one-litre packet has increased by ₹3.
Expressing concern about the price rise, Pushpa Raju, a customer at a Nandini milk parlour at Koramangala, said, “While ₹4 might not seem like much, it will, however, add to my weekly expenses. I will end up spending at least ₹100 extra every week only on milk. Milk is essential and I have no choice but to buy it.”
“The quantity of milk in each half-litre packet has been increased by 10 ml. The new price has been rounded off to ₹2 for a half-litre packet to avoid the problem of tendering change,” said Leela Manjunath, owner of a Nandini milk booth.
Many homemakers from joint families are worried about the increase in expenses. Shipa Kumar, a homemaker with a family of seven, said, “I have three children who are all growing up and need to drink sufficient milk”. She buys close to two litres of milk and one litre of curd every day. “My parents-in-law are old and prefer to eat curd rice every day. If the prices skyrocket like this, how will we afford basic necessities?” she asked.
With expenses increasing, many BPL cardholders and other underprivileged women fear that the money they receive under government initiatives such as Gruha Lakshmi will be spent only on procuring basic necessities. “We buy a litre of milk every day. I was planning to save the money I will receive under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme for my son’s education, but I might have to spend it on buying milk and curd instead,” said Mahalakshmi, a daily wage worker.
