LAHORE: The Dairy and Cattle Association has warned that the pure buffalo milk price will cross Rs200 per litre mark in the month of Ramazan if the rising prices of grains and export of fodder are not checked.

Association’s central president Shakir Umar Gujjar and central Punjab chief Khan Babar Bhatti told a press conference on Friday dairy farmers were forced to sell milk at higher rates because of increasing grain prices and taxes imposed on dairy products.

They claimed the per litre farm-gate price of milk is Rs150 and those selling the commodity cheaper than this are in fact providing adulterated or synthetically prepared milk.

This mafia, they said, is playing with public health.

They demanded the Punjab government ban movement of cattle from Sindh to Punjab as disease-causing wounds on animals’ skin was speedily spreading in Karachi while the livestock department was taking no action.

They also demanded that the government leave milk prices to the market forces so that people could get quality milk.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2022