Karachi commissioner orders crackdown against milk ‘mafia’

F.P. Report

KARACHI: Commissioner Ejaz Ahmed Khan ordered on Friday crackdown against retailers and wholesalers who have refused to sell milk at government-approved price of Rs85 per litre.

Karachi commissioner called for immediate action to be taken against those who are selling milk at higher prices.

On the other hand, consumers on social media called for a three-day boycott of milk in order to bring down the soaring prices.

On Wednesday, a milk crisis emerged in Karachi as the majority of retailers closed their shops. Forced to sell milk at the government-approved price of Rs85 per litre, the retailers complained that they are unable to break even after purchasing milk at Rs95 per litre.

“Wholesalers are selling [milk] at a price nine rupees above what the government has set,” a retailer told media. “We have stopped purchasing [from the wholesalers] since yesterday.”

According to an estimate, the metropolis’ daily milk demand of 4.5 million litres is faced with a deficit supply of at least a million litres.

Milk prices to be increased by Rs10

A meeting discussing milk prices, chaired by commissioner karachi, decided in favour of an upward revision worth Rs 10 per litre.

Led by Karachi Commissioner Ejaz Ahmed Khan, the participants of the meeting unanimously agreed to bump up the price of milk from Rs 85 to Rs 95 per litre.

However, an official notification regarding the price hike has yet to be issued.

In a statement issued late Wednesday night, Shakir Umar Gujjar, the president of the Dairy and Cattle Farms Association (DCFA), confirmed the price of milk for farms has been set at Rs 86 per litre.