Pricey bite

Bhubaneswar/Cuttack, Aug. 30: Come September, sweets will be dearer as the prices of milk products are set to go up from next week.

“We are now forced to hike the sweet prices as the milk and milk products have become costlier. We will discuss with the milk product suppliers on Monday and then decide our future course of action,” said president of the Utkal Mistanna Byabasayee Sangh Bimbadhar Behera.

“We will have to raise the sweet price between Rs 8 and Rs 15 a kg,” said Behera.

The Cuttack Milk Products’ Association has already decided to increase the price of milk products from September 1 following the price rise of milk supplied by Odisha State Co-operative Milk Producers’ Federation Limited (Omfed), the sole distributor of milk in the state. The Khurda District Mill Products’ Association, on the other hand, will meet on Monday to decide on the price hike in Bhubaneswar and other places of the district, said its president Dillip Hali.

The milk product suppliers said they were compelled to raise the prices due to hike in Omfed milk price from August 7. The rate of 1 litre of toned milk has been hiked from Rs 30 to Rs 32 and that of double toned milk from Rs 28 to Rs 30 a litre. While the price of chenna (cottage cheese) will be hiked by Rs 10 per kg, the price of paneer (Indian cheese) and khua will be increased by Rs 15 and Rs 20 per kg, respectively.

This will be the second hike in milk products in less than five months. On March 1, the prices of the three milk products were increased by Rs 10 per kg.

Association secretary Pradip Behera said: “After the state-owned Omfed hiked milk price by Rs 2 per litre from August 7, there is no other way for the producers than to hike price.”

“Henceforth, chenna will be sold at Rs 135 per kg and paneer will be supplied at Rs 165 per kg. The new price of khua will be Rs 170 per kg,” Behera said.

Hali said they might hike the price of cottage cheese by Rs 10 a kg and that of paneer by Rs 15 to Rs 20 per kg.

“Hike in milk price by Rs 2 per litre has already put pressure on our purse. Rise in prices of chenna and paneer will further affect our budget,” said Chowdhury Bazar resident Rashmita Jena.

“Omfed has been hiking milk prices frequently — which has a spiral effect on milk products and sweets. This will definitely hit the middle class,” said Bhubaneswar resident Pranita Panda.