March 5: The government has increased the price of milk against the National Dairy Development Policy. A cabinet meeting held on Friday decided to increase the price of milk by Rs 9 per liter. According to the National Dairy Development Policy 2078, the price of milk can be revised every two years based on the study report of the Diary Development Board. However, due to the collusion of the businessmen and the government, the price has been increased in just one year.

According to the decision of the Council of Ministers, the price of milk per liter has been fixed at Rs 65 for the farmers. Earlier, farmers were selling milk at Rs 56 per liter. The government increased the price due to the complaints of milk producing farmers and dairy businessmen that they are not getting the price of milk according to the cost of production.

Executive Director of the national Dairy Development Board (DDB) Rajendra Prasad Yadav said that currently only the minimum price of milk that the farmers get has been increased. The profit of dairy dealers is yet to be increased. According to him, the profit earned by the dairy will be determined in coordination between the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, the DDB and other relevant agencies. Now, consumers are buying milk at Rs 83 per liter.

On February 14, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development was recommended to increase the price of milk by Rs 10 per litre. Some businessmen demanded to increase the price of milk by up to Rs 14 per litre. Earlier in December, under the leadership of the Dairy Industry Association, the price of milk was unilaterally increased by Rs 14 per litre. The price hike was withdrawn after widespread protests.

The dairy businessmen had put pressure on the government to increase the price of milk saying that the price of grain, bran, straw and transportation costs have increased. They said that they were forced to increase the price of milk against the policy.

Raj Kumar Dahal, president of the Dairy Industry Association, said that since the prices of grain, bran and medicine have more than doubled, the cost of production of farmers is difficult to meet. Earlier, the government had adjusted the price of milk about 1 year ago during the tenure of the then Agriculture and Livestock Development Minister Mahindra Raya Yadav.