Amul not to hike milk prices in next 4-5 months

Amul, owned and managed by GCMMF is not planning to hike its milk pricesin next 4-5 months, a top official of the company said to PTI.

"Last price increase happened in May 2014. At present condition, we have no plan to raise prices in next 4-5 months because of higher production and procurement,” said R S Sodhi, MD, Amul.

The price increase is not required currently as cost of milk production is also under control in view of stable feed prices and lower energy and transportation costs, the company added.

"We will take a call after 4-5 months. If feed prices rise, then we will be forced to hike prices. Otherwise, we will not do for the heck of it. Whenever we did, we raised it by Rs 2 per litre, which is just 4 per cent," Sodhi further informed.

The average price increase in milk in the current fiscal is around 5-6 per cent, much lower than 10-12 per cent in last two years.

Meanwhile, the company has also witnessed that milk buying from Gujarat and other parts of the country, has increased to 195 lakh litres per day from the average 155 lakh litres per day because of better prices being paid to farmers as compared to private dairies.

Amul is also planning to invest Rs 50,000 crore to expand its network and set up at least 10 new processing plants across the country in next two years.

Amul, formed in 1946, is a dairy cooperative based in Anand district of Gujarat and is managed by Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation.