Retailers hike milk price by Rs10 to Rs140 a litre in Karachi.

KARACHI -- Already experiencing high food inflation, people of Karachi suffered another shock on Monday when stakeholders in the milk sector increased the price of loose milk and yogurt by Rs10 per litre and Rs20 per kilogram, respectively.

According to spokesperson for the milk retailers association Waheed Gaddi, the new price of loose milk is Rs140 per litre and one kilogram of yogurt is available for Rs220.

'Out of over 10,000 shops in Karachi, the new rates have been implemented in 80 per cent shops,' he claimed.

This is the second price hike of the milk and yogurt in the current year. In March, the per litre milk price was raised to Rs130 from Rs120 followed by a jump in per kilo yogurt price to Rs200 from Rs180.

Yogurt price also increased by Rs20 to Rs220 per kilo

When asked how the prices were increased when the retailers' association was resisting any hike by wholesalers (middle man), he replied that the wholesalers had planned to increase the milk price by Rs40 per litre and it was the retailers who resisted their move for the past two months.

He said under the prevailing market conditions the retailers became bound to raise prices as they could not resist the forced increase in prices by the wholesalers.

He said that instead of rescuing the consumers by taking action against those responsible for actual increase in the milk price, the district administration continued imposing heavy fines on retailers for overcharging. 'Retailers have been receiving a slip from mukhtiarkarss that says 'receipt for payment to government and payment of Rs15,000 fine received from the milk seller',' he added.

Mr Gaddi said that it was in March 2015 when the Karachi commissioner had official the milk price as Rs94 per litre and since then prices...