Milk price hike irks citizens

SHILLONG: The sudden hike in the maximum retail price of Megha Milk supplied by the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department has irked residents of the State.
People are aggrieved as the price of Megha Milk, which was Rs 44 per litre, is hiked by Rs 8. The price has been revised and fixed at Rs 52 per litre from March 1, according to the Chief Executive Officer of the District Milk Procurement and Marketing Agency, Shillong.
Director of the Animal and Husbandry Department B. Rijal said the prices of milk were last revised two years ago. “An Assam-based ‘Pooravi milk’ is being sold at a rate of Rs 52 in Shillong,” he added.
While defending the decision of increasing the price, Rijal said, “The price of the feed has gone up and whereas other states are getting benefits of various schemes for feed, no such schemes are available in Meghalaya.”
He also said Rs 42 is paid to farmers while retailers and wholesalers, besides the department, keep a small amount of the money for necessary processing of the milk.