SWABI: Getting pure milk even at exorbitant prices in Swabi district is an uphill task these days and consumers have been left with no option but to use adulterated milk.

A survey of the local markets by this correspondent showed that the milk sellers had been earning money at the cost of consumers who wanted to get quality milk even by paying more than the price fixed by the government. This scribe spoke to a number of consumers who said that they were ready to pay more, but who would assure them that the milk they were getting was pure.

The officially-fixed retail price of milk is Rs80 per kilogramme, but the same quantity could be acquired at Rs120 from the farming fields. Answering a query, a milk seller said that they had two types of milk: one sold at the official rate of Rs 80 per kg and the other at Rs100 per kg, suggesting difference in quality.

People urge govt to check sale of adulterated milk

They said that there was a great difference in quality of milk they had been getting directly from the farmers and the market. “The quality of milk acquired directly from the farmers is much better than that of the milk sellers in the markets and the consumers happily pay the high price,” said Shahid Khan of Right Bank Colony at Tarbela Dam.

“The monopoly gives the milk sellers power to overcharge consumers at their well,” said Zahir Dad Khan of Maneri.

He said that the dairy farmers had already made contracts with the milk sellers and retailers and they usually did not sell milk to common consumers. In this scenario, the entire profit goes to the dairy farmers and retailers as they have established monopoly over the dairy business, say consumers.

Saifur Rehman of Topi city said that despite frequent public complaints about quality of milk, no one was arrested or fined by the district administration.

Ahmad Ali of Swabi city said that if someone was arrested he would complain that the officials were harassing him and the politicians would ask the officials to release ‘the poor person’.

People from different regions alleged that the city government had failed to ensure availability of pure milk in the markets by checking adulteration. They demanded action against those milk sellers who indulged in overcharging and selling adulterated milk.

When contacted, an official of the district administration said that no one was allowed to overcharge consumers and that they would ensure that the milk sellers followed the government-fixed price.

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2016