Sellers unilaterally hike prices of milk, yoghurt

A new tsunami of inflation has stormed the open market with retailers increasing the prices of daily commodities including essential goods.

The Rawalpindi Milkmen Association has increased the prices of milk and curd per kilogramme while the price of eggs per dozen has exceeded the price of chicken meat. Similarly, the Nanbai Association has also announced to increase in the price of roti by Rs10 from next week.

Sources said that the prices of fresh milk and curd have been increased to Rs180 and Rs200 per kg respectively in the open market from December 6 [Tuesday]. The sources said that since the establishment of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government on April 10 until now, the prices of milk and curd have been increased four times by Rs10 per kg each time. On April 10, the fresh milk was sold at Rs140 and the curd at Rs150 per kg. The Milkmen Association’s Secretary Chaudhary Khurram and Vice President Chaudhary Nisar Gujjar said that the prices of buffaloes and their fodder have increased enormously in the last eight months.

“Currently, the price of a buffalo has increased from Rs350,000 rupees to Rs600,000 while the cost of green fodder, oilcake and straw has increased by 500 to 800 per cent,” they claimed. “In this case, it became necessary to increase the prices of milk and curd,” they added. After the increase in the price of milk and ghee, the price of butter has also been increased to Rs1,300 per kg and that of desi ghee to Rs1,600 to Rs1,700 per kg.

The association’s leaders said that if the price of the buffaloes and fodder continues to rise, the price of milk will also be increased by another Rs10 per kg at the beginning of the next year. Meanwhile, Shafiq Qureshi, the central president of the Nanbai Association, while addressing the association’s general council meeting said that due to the increase, the sack of red flour has crossed Rs8,000 and the sack of refined flour has crossed Rs10,000.

“A written requisition has been submitted to the deputy commissioner to increase the prices of roti and naan,” he said. “It has been requested to convene a meeting of the Price Control Committee immediately and increase the price of roti and naan,” he added