Pay more for milk from today

VADODARA: Barodians, too, will have to start paying more for their daily milk from Thursday as Baroda Dairy will increase prices of milk by Rs 2 and Re 1 per litre. Baroda Dairy had already decided to follow suit after the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) - the apex marketing body of all the district dairy unions of the state - decided to increase price of Amul Gold by Rs 2 per litre and that of five other varieties by Re 1 per litre earlier this month.The dairy had not decided the date of the implementation of the revised prices."We have decided to increase milk prices only in three varieties - Amul Gold by Rs 2 per litre, Amul Shakti and Amul Slim and Trim by Re 1 per litre," Baroda Dairy's managing director Rahul Kumar told TOI on Wednesday, adding that unlike GCMMF, the dairy union has not increased price of Amul Cow milk variety which is presently priced at Rs 32 per litre.With this price hike, Amul Gold will cost consumers Rs 40 per litre, Amul Shakti Rs 36 per litre and Amul Slim and Trim Rs 28 per litre. So far, a litre of Amul Gold costs Rs 38 per litre, that of Amul Shakti Rs 35 per litre and Amul Slim and Trim Rs 27 per litre.It is worth mentioning here that Amul has increased milk prices for the second time this year after the last price hike in April when it had increased prices of standard milk by Rs 2 per litre whereas prices of toned and double toned milk had increased by Re 1 per litre.Since 2006, this is the 16th price hike introduced by GCMMF in Gujarat. Last year, too, Amul had increased milk prices twice - in April and July.In Vadodara, which is Gujarat's third largest milk market, an average of four lakh litres milk is consumed everyday. This includes 1.5 lakh litres of Amul Gold, 1.5 lakh litres of Amul Shakti and 50,000 litres each of Amul Cow milk and Amul Slim and Trim varieties.GCMMF had defended the milk price hike blaming it on the increase in transportation cost that has risen with the hike in diesel prices and increase in cattle feed prices by around 30 per cent.