September 03, 2008	Wednesday	Ramazan 2, 1429

KARACHI, Sept 2: Consumers continue to pay increased prices of fresh milk as a long-standing row between the government and dairy farmers over pricing of the essential commodity is not likely to come to an end any time soon.

The issue has found no solution despite a Sindh High Court ruling on the subject.

At present, milk is being sold between Rs40 and Rs44 in violation of a recent livestock department’s notification that fixed the retail price at Rs37.

The price fixation notification was issued following a series of meetings between government officials of the livestock department and relevant stakeholders. This was done at the order of the high court which had earlier directed the provincial government to resolve the issue by achieving consensus.

It is worth recalling that the city government had fixed the milk price at Rs34 a couple of months but failed to implement it subsequently.

The provincial livestock secretary, Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, told Dawn that the milk price had been fixed after taking into consideration the concerns of all the stakeholders. He added that the price would be enforced by the city government’s district coordination officer through the revenue department.

“We have given a fair judgment after listening to all stakeholders. Now the enforcement of the fixed price would be ensured by the DCO and the relevant city government departments.”

However, dairy farmers rejected the provincial government’s claim of fixing the milk price by achieving consensus.

Shaukat Mukhtar of the Karachi Dairy Farmers Association told Dawn that meetings between members of his organisation and officials of the provincial livestock department had taken place, but they had mainly focussed on ways to develop the dairy sector.

“We were told that milk price fixation is a secondary issue and suggestions were invited for the development of the dairy sector. Our representatives gave them in writing a list of our expenses and also suggested the price what we believe is fair,” he said, adding that livestock department officials took no notice of the case and continued to concentrate on other matters.

“The government has taken a unilateral and unrealistic decision. The Sindh High Court had directed the government to achieve consensus, but we were not taken on board. We will take up the matter in court.”

Enumerating the major reasons for an increase in milk prices, he said that rising transport fares were a pressing issue.

“A cotton-seed trailer which was earlier brought from Punjab for Rs25,000 is now being hired for Rs55,000 while charges for a truck of six buffaloes has risen from Rs9,000 to Rs20,000 in recent months,” he said.