Amul not to raise milk prices this year: MD

GCMMF attributes stability in prices on account of surplus availibility

The Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which sells milk and dairy products under the Amul brand, is unlikely to further increase milk prices this year on account of surplus availability, a top company official said.

"Milk prices this year will be very stable as the availability of milk is good," GCMMF Managing Director R S Sodhi said.

Amul, the country's leading milk supplier, had in April this year raised milk prices by upto Rs 2 per litre in Mumbai, Gujarat and Delhi. In the last fiscal, GCMMF had announced a hike of around 14-15% in milk prices.

"In the last 2 years there have been price increases but this year due to surplus availability there is very little chance of a hike," Sodhi added.

As per the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), India is the largest milk producing nation in the world with an output of 121 million tonnes in 2010-11 fiscal and a global production share of about 17%.

According to government data, the per capita milk availability rose to 281 gm per day in 2010-11 against 278 gram per day in 2009-10 on account of growing output.

Amid surplus availability of milk, the government also lifted the ban on export of skimmed milk powder last month to to improve finances of dairy firms and help milk producers.