KARACHI: The unrestrained dairy farmers on Monday continued to add miseries on people with increased price of fresh milk as the city administration failed to enforce the officially notified Rs180 per litre price of milk in several parts of the city.

While the city administration claimed to have launched a crackdown on dairy farmers, wholesalers and retailers and deputed its officers for regulating the official price, milk retailers in almost all parts of the city continued to sell the commodity at an increased price of Rs230per litre.

The latest rise in the price of fresh milk, which was already being sold at Rs210/litre in every part of the city against the official rate of Rs180, sent a wave of resentment among people amid uncertain economic condition and increasing inflation.

Commissioner Muhammed Iqbal Memon told Dawn that the city administration had initiated a crackdown on retailers selling the milk at a price higher than the notified one.

Commissioner sets up teams to enforce official price of Rs180 per litre in city

He said that all deputy commissioners had been directed to ensure all officers concerned were in the field to check the price of milk and take legal action against those milk sellers who were found violating the official price.

The commissioner said that the administration officers had been ordered to seize the milk if they found it was being sold at a higher price and auction it then and there.

Unfazed by the commissioner’s crackdown, Dairy and Cattle Farmers Association president Shakir Umer Gujjar said in a statement that the rise in milk prices had been announced in conjunction with stakeholders from July 1 and the ex-farm rate would increase by Rs600 per 40kg of milk.

He said that the commissioner had twice convened a meeting for finalising milk prices but he himself remained absent.

“We told the additional commissioner that if prices were not immediately raised, we would announce the raise ourselves,” he said.

The recent increase in the milk price triggered a strong protest by the consumers across the city. Some civil rights campaigners ask people to boycott the dairy products.

The matter later flashed in mainstream and social media, prompting the city administration to intervene and launch a crackdown on milk sellers selling milk at Rs230 per litre.

The administrative action included fines, sealing of shops and arrest of some milk sellers.

The deputy commissioner of district East reported that Mashallah Milk Shop near Hassan Square in Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Nagori Milk Shop at Jauhar Mor and Rado Milk Shop in Gulishtan-i-Jauhar were raided for selling the commodity at a higher price.

He said that the milk was seized at the shops and sold to people at Rs180 per litre. Two shops — Babar Milk Shop and Rado Milk Shop — were also sealed for resisting to sell the milk at the notified price.

The deputy commissioner of district Korangi sealed six milk shops in Shah Faisal Colony for selling the commodity on a higher price.

Two shops were sealed by the deputy commissioner of South for not selling milk on price fixed by the city administration. A fine of Rs75,000 was also imposed on the shopkeepers who were found selling the milk at a higher price.

However, consumers complained that the administration crackdown on the milk sellers led to a sharp decline in the quality of the commodity.

They said that the retailers selling milk at official price were adding plenty of water in the commodity to recover their losses.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2023