Agriculture
Karnataka Raises Nandini Milk Price by Rs 8 a Litre From November 1
The state Cabinet has approved an Rs 8 per litre increase in Nandini milk, with most of the gain going to dairy farmers after weeks of protests.
Desh Flash desk1 November 2026, 11:25 am IST2 minUpdated 1 November 2026, 11:25 am IST
The Karnataka Cabinet on Thursday approved an increase of Rs 8 per litre in the retail price of Nandini milk, the brand marketed by the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF). Minister Krishna Byre Gowda announced the decision and said the revised price will take effect from November 1.
The bulk of the hike goes to the people who produce the milk. Of the Rs 8, Rs 7 will be passed on to farmers and Re 1 will go to the milk cooperatives. Gowda said farmers currently receive about Rs 35 per litre, plus a state incentive of Rs 5, and that the producer price will rise to Rs 42. The Rs 5 incentive will continue, which would take a farmer's total earnings to roughly Rs 47 per litre.
The pressure behind the decision was building for some time. Gowda said lawmakers from every party in the Legislative Council had asked the government to act on the farm distress, and milk producers had gone out on the streets to protest. The cooperatives had also pushed for a higher price. Farmers had sought Rs 10 per litre, but the government concluded that a larger jump was not feasible, so it settled on Rs 8.
For consumers, the change means Nandini milk, currently sold at Rs 46 per litre, will cost Rs 54. That is a noticeable jump for households buying milk daily, and it will be closely watched in a state where dairy is a major source of rural income. Gowda argued that even at the higher figure, Karnataka's shelf price would still sit below what buyers pay in several other states.
Why it matters: dairy is one of the few steady cash flows for many smallholder families, and price support at the farm gate can determine whether they stay in milk production. The move also tests the cooperative model, which depends on balancing what farmers earn with what shoppers will tolerate. Watch for how the market responds in the weeks after November 1, and whether the increase eases the protests that prompted it.
Read the original report at dailypioneer.com.
