Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said the government would consider increasing the price of the Nandini brand of milk, marketed by the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF), in the coming days and the benefit would be passed on to farmers.
Speaking after laying the foundation stone for various development works and launching a newly built training centre of the Bangalore Milk Union in Magadi taluk of Ramanagara district, he said a meeting of the KMF would be called and a decision taken on a proposal to increase the price of the Nandini milk.
“The benefit will be passed on to farmers. If you (farmers) support me, then we will increase the price of milk. Farmers of the whole State should demand increase in the milk price,” he said, amid applause from those gathered.
Since June 2024, the KMF has been charging ₹2 more for the 50 ml extra milk per packet, amid a glut in milk production in Karnataka this season.
Later, Mr. Siddaramaiah hit out at the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for its “anti-farmer policies” and said the country’s outstanding loans increased from ₹53.11 lakh crore in 2014 to ₹183 lakh crore in 2024. It has waived ₹16 lakh crore loans borrowed by industrialists, he added.
The Chief Minister said there was no shortage of funds for development works and the five guarantee schemes of his government, aimed at empowering the poor. The support price for milk has been given to farmers to meet the increased input cost, he said.
