A day after indicating that the retail price of Nandini milk would be revised to help milk producers who are in distress, Animal Husbandry Minister K. Venkatesh on Wednesday said the government was also considering increasing the financial incentive given to milk producers.
“We have promised to increase the incentive in our manifesto and will consider hiking the sum next month,” Mr. Venkatesh told the Legislative Council in response to a question by BJP member N. Ravikumar.
The government pays ₹5 per litre of milk procured from producers currently, and the Congress in its manifesto had promised to hike the incentive in the light of milk producers being in distress. On Tuesday, the Minister said a proposal to increase the retail price of Nandini milk is before the government and 70% of the hiked price was being proposed to be passed on to farmers.
When Mr. Ravikumar drew his attention to reduction in the procurement price by Bengaluru Milk Union by ₹1.50 per litre, the Minister said, “Bamul had increased procurement price by ₹3 per litre during summer months to encourage farmers to bring milk to societies. Though they wanted to withdraw the entire ₹3 per litre, we have told them to reduce by ₹1.50 per litre.”
