Due to increase in farmers’ input cost, Punjab’s milk cooperative — Milkfed — has enhanced the prices of its all milk variants, under the brand name ‘Verka’, by Rs 2 per litre from March 8, Tuesday.
“As there has been a considerable increase in input cost of dairy farming, the procurement rates have been increased to support the dairy farmers only recently. And as Verka passes a huge chunk of its sales realization from milk towards the procurement of milk, the milk prices have been increased,” said Milkfed chairman Amarjit Singh Sidhu. Sidhu said that Verka always brings the best quality products to the consumer, and in quest of bringing the superior quality products, Verka always sources milk directly from the farmers.
He said that there is a considerable increase in the cost of animal feed, meal supplements and other inputs of dairy farming. “Animal healthcare has also got costly. While we have hiked the procurement rates considerably, there is a marginal increase in milk price to make it easy on customers’ pocket,” he added.
Sidhu said that Verka never compromises on purity of products and will continue to provide best quality products to its customers at remunerative prices.
“Farmers’ interest is of utmost importance in Milkfed and 80 to 85 percent is paid back to the farmer in the form of milk purchase price and annual bonuses etc,” said Sidhu.
Since its inception, Verka has connected more than four lakh farmers across the state to a circle of about 7,000 cooperative societies that give them the collective resources, technical inputs and necessary infrastructure.
At the same time, a senior Milkfed official said that Verka has some stock of polyfilm, meant for packaging of milk, having old prices printed on them. “Various milk variants shall continue to be packed and marked in pouches having previous retail price printed till such stock is exhausted. But, new rates will be stamped on the pouches,” he clarified.