Aavin increases price of two more varieties of milk

CHENNAI: Office bearers of Tamil Nadu Milk Agents and Employees Welfare Association on Friday said that Aavin has silently increased the price of two more varieties of milk apart from increasing the price of premium variety of milk.

"The price of the Aavin Team Mate variant is increased from Rs 52 to 68 per litre and that of Aavin Gold has been increased from Rs 47 to 58 per litre but Aavin was silent on the price rise. While making the announcement of price hike they mentioned only the price hike of Aavin premium milk and conveniently left the other two variants,” said SA Ponnusamy, President of the milk agents welfare association, while addressing the media, in Chennai.

After the State government hiked the price of Aavin milk, several political parties and organisations opposed the hike calling it as unreasonable. While thanking the State government for the hike, Ponnuswamy said that the hike was not on the lines of their demands. "Milk producers demanded a hike in procurement price of Rs 15 per litre and the hike should have been at least Rs 10 per litre but the hike given was only Rs 3 per litre. Citing a mere hike of Rs 3 in procurement price the price of milk has increased manifold,” said Pannusamy.

He also said that despite the increase in selling price of milk their commission still remains at Rs 1.5 per litre, which they had to share with the wholesale and retail traders, and threatened to boycott Aavin premium milk if their commission is not increased in proportion to the hike in milk price.

Earlier in the day, Dairy Minister SM Nasar, while justifying the hike in price of milk, said that "the Union government has imposed GST for milk" and so they had to increase the price of milk in Aavin.