KARACHI, Feb 2: Irrespective of the outcome of the ongoing row between the dairy farmers, wholesalers and retailers on the price issue – consumers will be the losers. Any price hike hurts the pocket, but what is really painful is when consumers pay high prices and get mediocre quality of milk.
Market reports suggest many retailers have resorted to mixing water since they claim they are selling milk under cost after procuring it at Rs32 per litre from dairy farmers and selling it under compulsion at Rs28 to Rs30 per litre.
Consumers know they are paying more for sub-standard quality but they have no alternative because of the big price difference in prices as milk in tetra pack sells for Rs44 a litre. The Sindh and city governments appear least concerned in taking to task the powerful tetra milk producers’ cartel who have been increasing prices frequently in the last 18 months.
The Dairy Farmers Association of Karachi had claimed on Thursday that milk retailers were making heavy profits. They said they supply fresh milk to retailers but they adulterate it with six litres of water in a maund (40kgs) of milk. There are also said to be making Rs600 as profit per maund of curd by selling it at Rs48 per kg.
Experts said the city government seemed more interested in checking prices and imposing fines on retailers’ rather than paying attention to the low quality of milk being supplied in the city by the retailers. They pointed out that neither this city government nor previous administrations had sincerely bothered to check adulteration of fresh milk.
“I do not agree with the claim that a large number of retailers are mixing water to cover losses,” Chairman All Karachi Milk Retailers Welfare Association, (AKMRWA), Hafiz M. Nisar said. “There are hardly any retailers involved in this practice. Majority of them provide good quality to the consumers,” he said adding that big shop owners ensure quality otherwise they will lose their old customers.
On Friday, a meeting with EDO Enterprise and Investment Promotion, city government, Syed Hassan Naqvi and AKMRWA members on the price issue remained inconclusive.
Giving details Hafiz Nisar said the EDO had reiterated the city government’s earlier stance that the milk should sell at the official rate of Rs28 per litre to which the retailers asked the city government to first ensure milk supply at the reduced rate by the dairy farmers.
He said that the city government official had said that the action against retailers would continue in case they are found over charging from the consumers. Mr Naqvi assured the retailers representatives that action would also be taken against dairy farmers.
