Karachi milk price hike fears are intensifying after dairy farmers warned they may halt milk production.
KARACHI: The people of Karachi might experience a severe scarcity of fresh milk soon. The Dairy and Cattle Farmers Association has made a stern statement regarding this matter recently. Production will be suspended unless the government increases the prices by a hefty amount. The farmers have asked for Rs100 per litre to keep the industry alive.
DCFA President Musharraf Qureshi Moavi sent a formal letter to the Karachi commissioner this week laying out the ultimatum. He demanded authorities convene a stakeholder meeting within 48 hours. Without it, he said, the entire dairy sector faces collapse.
Why Farmers Say They Cannot Go On
The numbers tell a hard story. Animal feed, bran, oil cake, and silage costs have jumped 60 to 75 percent over the past two years. Petrol, diesel, electricity, cold storage and logistics costs have risen on top of that. Then add medicines, vaccines, veterinary services and labour. Everything costs more. The milk price has not kept pace.
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DCFA leader Shakir Umer Gujjar put it plainly. “If production halts, cities will face acute milk shortages, and consumers who are already struggling with inflation will suffer more.”
The farmers say the actual cost of producing one litre of milk now sits at around Rs300. City authorities set the retail price at Rs240 per litre on April 26 itself a Rs20 increase from the previous rate. That gap between cost and price is what is pushing farmers toward the exit. Gujjar warned that if the government does not issue a revised notification by June, farmers will raise prices on their own. Loose milk, he said, could hit Rs300 per litre whether the authorities approve it or not.
Government Says No Further Hike For Now
A senior official who spoke anonymously acknowledged the production cost crisis. He blamed meat exports and unregulated feed price increases for the squeeze on farmers. But he drew a firm line. “We cannot grant a larger hike at this time due to public outcry over inflation,” he said. The Rs20 increase from last month, he added, was all the government could offer right now. The quality problem, he admitted, follows directly from that decision.
Nobody has a solution yet.
