Karnataka Hikes Nandini Milk Prices by ₹8 Per Litre From November 1

The Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday approved an ₹8 per litre hike in Nandini milk prices, effective November 1, with ₹7 of the increase going to milk producers and Re 1 to cooperative societies, Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said.

Announcing the decision after the Cabinet meeting, Gowda said the move was taken unanimously following demands from milk producers and cooperative bodies for better remuneration amid rising costs and difficult conditions in the dairy sector.

The revised price will take Nandini milk from the existing ₹46 to ₹54 per litre. The amount paid to farmers will rise from ₹35 to ₹42 per litre, while the existing government incentive of ₹5 per litre will continue. This will take the total amount received by farmers to ₹47 per litre, including the incentive.

Gowda said farmers had initially demanded an increase of ₹10 per litre and had staged protests seeking higher payments. Representatives of milk cooperatives had also approached the chief minister and ministers concerned, pressing for a revision.

The minister said the Cabinet had discussed the issue on multiple occasions before arriving at the decision, keeping both producers and consumers in mind.

He also pointed out that daily milk procurement by cooperatives has declined by around 10 lakh litres over the past four to five months as drought conditions intensified.

Cooperation Minister Laxman Savadi said the revision was necessary to protect farmers and prevent milk supplies from being diverted to other states where prices were higher, potentially creating shortages in Karnataka. Savadi said the price increase would also affect other dairy products, including butter, ghee, curd and buttermilk.

Explaining the allocation of Re 1 per litre to cooperatives, he cited rising expenditure on fuel, plastic packaging and transportation. Cooperative societies had sought an additional ₹3 per litre, but the government approved only Re 1 after assessing their expenses.

Gowda said the revised Nandini price would remain below rates charged by several other brands and states, including Amul and Mother Dairy in Delhi, where milk sells for ₹59 and ₹60 per litre, respectively.