While Amul recently expressed its intentions to raise pouched milk prices by five-seven per cent, or about Rs 2 per litre, other leading producers like Mother Dairy, Paras and Hatsun seem to be in favour of keeping prices unchanged.
"There is no reason for raising milk prices. Abundant availability is there in the market and farmers are getting sufficient procurement prices in other parts of the country.
"Amul, however, pays the highest procurement price, which prompts other dairies to follow the trend. But the current year seems promising for milk production.
"Hence there is no need for a price rise, at least for two months or before June," said Rajendra Singh, managing director of Paras Dairy, one of the top three producers.
In Delhi, Mother Dairy sells full cream milk at Rs 37 a litre, toned at Rs 29, and double-toned milk at Rs 25 a litre.
It sells skimmed milk at Rs 21 a litre.
Amul sells two varieties in Delhi -- Amul Gold (full cream) and Amul Taza (toned) at Rs 38 and Rs 29 a litre, respectively.
Paras Dairy, the private player, has maintained its prices almost at par with those of Mother Dairy's.
But it sells its full-cream variety cheaper by Rs 1 a litre in Delhi.
Paras sells close to 400,000 litres of pouched milk in northern markets such as the national capital region and Lucknow.
Industry insiders maintain factors such as procurement price, packaging cost, cost of fuel, electricity and logistics influence the retail price of pouched milk.
Input costs for dairies have gone up because of an increase in the excise duty.
The packaging cost has gone
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