Milk prices to increase across Gujarat from today

VADODARA: Milk prices across Gujarat will rise from Sunday. The Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) that markets brand Amul has decided to increase milk prices in markets across the state starting from Sunday till April 12. In Ahmedabad, milk prices will increase from Tuesday.
GCMMF has decided to increase prices of Amul standard milk by Rupees 2 per litre, whereas prices of toned and double toned milk will increase by Rupee 1 per litre.With this, it will be the 15th price hike introduced by GCMMF in Gujarat since 2006. It is the first revision of milk prices this year.
Effectively, after this price revision, consumers will start paying double of what they used to pay for their daily milk in 2006. For instance, Amul Gold used to cost Rs 19 per litre, whereas low fat Amul Slim & Trim used to cost Rs 13 per litre. Now, while Amul Gold will cost Rs 38 per litre, Amul Slim & Trim will cost Rs 26 per litre to the consumers.
"We are doing this because of normal inflationary pressures and to pay better remuneration to our farmers," GCMMF's MD R S Sodhi told TOI on Saturday, adding that the federation has decided to hike prices of Amul Gold, Amul Shakti, Amul cow milk and Amul Tea Special by Rs 2 per litre, whereas other variants like Amul Taaza and Slim & Trim will cost more by Re 1 per litre.
While individual dairy unions like Himmatnagar-based Sabar Dairy have already hiked prices with effect from Saturday, Baroda Dairy, which usually revises prices of milk after all the dairy unions of Gujarat, is expected to take decision after April 20. At Ahmedabad, where GCMMF directly supplies milk, the hike will be introduced on April 10.
BOX: In six years, milk prices doubled
Vadodara: With the latest price revision, 15th milk price hike since 2006, you will be paying almost double the amount for your daily milk. In 2006, per litre cost of Amul Gold was Rs 19, Amul Shakti Rs 17, Amul Taaza Rs 15, while the low fat variety Amul Slim & Trim used to cost you Rs 13 per litre. And now with the latest price revision, Amul Gold will cost Rs 38 per litre, Amul Shakti Rs 35 per litre, Amul Taaza Rs 28 per litre whereas Amul Slim & Trim will cost you Rs 26 per litre.
BOX1: No other price hike till 2013
Vadodara: Amul will not increase prices of milk for second time this year. GCMMF managing director R S Sodhi told TOI that after the milk price hike this month, there will be no revision in prices of milk this year. "We are hoping that prices of milk will remain the same after this rice hike," said Sodhi, adding that unless GCMMF comes across extraordinary circumstances which would force it to hike milk prices, the federation has decided that there will be no hike till next year. Milk prices had soared twice last year. GCMMF had first hiked prices of standard and double toned milk by Rupees 2 and Rupee 1 per litre in April, 2011. Later, it burdened consumers across Gujarat with another milk price hike just in three months as it revised the prices again in July, 2011.