April 05, 2008	Saturday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 27, 1429

KARACHI, April 4: The city government has finally decided to take strict measures against what it described as influential dairy farmers to bring down the price of milk in the city.

The belated move came in the wake of dairy farmers’ unilateral decision to increase the milk price to Rs40-Rs42 per litre as against the official rates of Rs34 per litre.

In an attempt to enforce the official rates, the city government has decided to depute its officials having magisterial powers in all the major wholesale milk markets on a permanent basis.

EDO Enterprise and Investment Promotion Dr Shahab Imam told Dawn that a city government team had taken control of a wholesale market in Lea Market to ensure the availability of milk to the retailers at the official price of Rs32 per litre.

“We are going to establish our camps in Landhi Cattle Colony also where our magistrates will take stern action against dairy farmers and wholesalers if they try to sell milk above the notified rate,” he said.

The enterprise and investment promotion department of the city government is responsible for fixing prices of some essential commodities including milk but the implementation of the official orders in the local markets is the responsibility of the revenue department whose officials are armed with magisterial powers.

Welcoming the city government’s move to control the hike in milk price, the Karachi Milk Retailers’ Association reiterated their resolve to sell milk at the official rates, provided the wholesalers and the dairy farmers supply milk on the notified price.

“We have time and again asked the city government that we can sell milk at the official rate of Rs34 per litre only if we get the supply from wholesalers and dairy farmers at the official rates,” said Hafiz Nisar Gaddi, the chief of the milk retailers’ body.

He said that so far none of the wholesalers or dairy farmers had been arrested or fined for overcharging.

Last month, the city government had notified the official wholesale and retail prices of per litre milk as Rs32 and Rs34 respectively. However, retailers were selling milk for Rs36 per litre owing to the fact that the wholesalers and dairy farmers were supplying milk on a higher rate.

Sources said that the E&IP department had suggested to the revenue department to initiate action against dairy farmers instead of retailers because the former was behind the price hike. However, the revenue department officials did not follow the suggestion and from April 1, the wholesalers increased per litre price of milk to Rs38.44 and subsequently, the retailers started selling milk at Rs42 per litre.