Patna/Ranchi ā Amid rising production costs and inflationary pressure in the dairy sector, Sudha Dairy has become the latest major cooperative to raise milk prices, following in the footsteps of Amul, Mother Dairy, and Nandini over the past month.
Starting May 22, Sudha Dairyās new rates will apply across Bihar and Jharkhand:
- š„ Sudha Gold (Full Cream Milk): ā¹65/litre
- š„ Sudha Shakti Milk: ā¹57/litre
- š„ Cow Milk: ā¹54/litre
This ā¹2 per litre hike is attributed to rising animal feed costs, transportation expenses, and energy prices, all of which are squeezing the margins of dairy cooperatives.
š Recent Milk Price Hikes Across India
Sudha Dairyās increase is part of a larger trend seen across Indiaās milk industry:
šø Amul (GCMMF) ā From May 1, prices for all major variants, including Amul Gold, Amul Taaza, and Amul Cow Milk, were raised by ā¹2 per litre.
šø Mother Dairy ā Implemented a ā¹2 per litre hike in Delhi-NCR in late April, affecting both full cream and toned milk.
šø Nandini Dairy (KMF, Karnataka) ā Hiked prices in early May by ā¹2 per litre in Bengaluru and other regions of Karnataka.
šø Verka (Punjab) ā Also revised rates in May, with price hikes ranging from ā¹1 to ā¹2 per litre depending on the variant.
šø Aavin (Tamil Nadu) ā Though state-controlled, Aavin hinted at potential adjustments due to increased procurement and feed costs, though no official hike was confirmed at time of writing.
“We’re witnessing a nationwide ripple effect in milk pricing driven by input inflationāespecially fodder, diesel, and packaging materials,” said an analyst tracking dairy inflation in India.
š About Sudha Dairy
Founded in 1983, Sudha Dairy operates under the Bihar State Milk Cooperative Federation Limited (COMFED). It was established to give farmers fair procurement rates while eliminating middlemen. Today, Sudha is a critical player in eastern Indiaās dairy cooperative network.
Despite price hikes, Sudha has not raised rates for its value-added dairy products such as ghee, curd, lassi, and sweetsāan effort to cushion consumers from widespread food inflation.