The price of packaged liquid milk has risen by as much as 10 taka a litre across almost every brand on the country’s market. Dairy producers have adjusted their prices, citing a rise in production costs.
Enquiries found that a one-litre packet of Milk Vita is currently selling at 110 taka. The price of the product was raised by 10 taka last month. Over the same period the price of the half-litre packet was raised by 5 taka to 60 taka.
Half-litre packets of liquid milk from Farm Fresh, Aarong and Pran Dairy are selling at 55 taka. One-litre packets of those brands cost between 110 and 115 taka.
Buyers have expressed dissatisfaction at the rise. In their view, although milk is an important source of daily nutrition, the successive price rises are making it difficult for many families to buy it regularly.
Retailers also say sales of liquid milk have fallen since the increase. Their complaint is that the price of almost every brand was raised by up to 10 taka a litre at the same time.
The producers, however, say they had to adjust prices because production costs had risen. Higher prices for packaging materials, gas, electricity and transport mean each litre of milk now costs more to produce than before.