The Bangladesh Milk Producers' Cooperative Union Limited, the country’s top milk producer and distributor, has again hiked the prices of its dairy product brand Milk Vita by about 15 per cent.
The higher prices took effect on Wednesday, Milk Vita authorities said.
The government-run company had raised its prices by a similar margin in March last year. This means that Milk Vita, which was established to provide nutrition to the common people, will have raised its prices by about 30 per cent in the span of two years.
The decision has been met with anger by consumers, reports bdmews24.com.
“I used to work at a private school,” said homemaker Umme Habiba, who came to the Mohammadia Store in the Sonar Bangla Market in Mirpur’s Rupnagar to shop. “My husband and I lost our jobs due to the pandemic. But we stayed in Dhaka in consideration of our child’s future. A year on, my husband recently got a job, but I am still unemployed. We are facing a host of difficulties due to a number of debts.”
“In the past year, the price of everything at the market has gone up. The things you could get for Tk 1,000 a year ago now cost Tk 1,300. As such, many families, including middle class ones like ours, are facing the pressure.”
These rising cost of food and other commodities could lead to malnutrition in Bangladesh, she said.
She fears that the government’s decision to raise the prices of Milk Vita products in two consecutive years will encourage other producers to follow suit.
“At the start of last year, a half-litre of milk from Milk Vita cost Tk 35. Partway through the year, the price was raised by Tk 5.0 to Tk 40.”
“And now I come to the store and see the price has gone up another Tk 5.0 to Tk 45. Now I’m wondering if I should get milk at all.”
“People won’t be able to survive if prices of necessities keep going up like this.”
“Will the government and economy survive such a situation?” she said, with some anger.
At the market, the price of a litre of Milk Vita milk had gone up by Tk 5.0 to Tk 80, the price of a half-litre had gone up by Tk 5.0 to Tk 45, the price of 200 gm of Matha had risen from Tk 25 to Tk 30, 250 gm of Labang had risen from Tk 31 to Tk 35 and 500 gm of Labang had risen by Tk 7.0 to Tk 65.
The price of 1 kg of sweetened curd rose from Tk 190 to Tk 210, while 1 kg of sour curd rose from Tk 170 to Tk 175.
The price of 200 gm of ghee rose by Tk 50 to Tk 300, the price of 400 gm rose Tk 70 to Tk 600 and the price of 900 gm rose Tk 120 to Tk 1,320.
The prices of Milk Vita’s ice creams were hiked at least 9.0 per cent as well.
“The price has been increased because the cost of producing and bringing dairy products to market has gone up significantly,” said Md Moinul Haque Chowdhury, general manager of Milk Vita marketing.
The price of cattle feed, packaging and transport has gone up in particular, he said.
“The cost of cattle feed rose 30 to 40 per cent,” Moinul said. “We used to buy plastic packets for a litre for Tk 2.20. Now we’re purchasing them at Tk 4.0.”
Rising oil prices have also led to transport costs rising by as much as 25 per cent for farmers, he said.
Due to the combination of these factors, the prices of Milk Vita products have been increased, the general manager said.
