KARACHI: The city faces the threat of an acute fresh milk shortage in the coming days as the Dairy. Cattle Farmers Association (DCFA) has warned that farmers will halt production unless authorities approve an immediate Rs100-per-litre increase in the retail price.
The DCFA said that consumers. already struggling with repeated price hikes, would bear the brunt if supply disruptions hit the city.
In a formal letter to the Karachi commissioner. the dairy farmers’ body issued an urgent warning that the dairy industry faced collapse unless milk prices were increased by Rs100 per litre immediately, citing a 60-75 per cent surge in production costs “over the last two years”.
DCFA President Musharraf Qureshi Moavi wrote to the commissioner that farmers were no longer able to sustain production due to unbearable inflation. rising input costs, and demanded that the provincial authorities convene a meeting of all stakeholders within 48 hours to negotiate a workable solution.
Warn authorities of production halt if increase of Rs100 per litre not announced
He said that the current prices of animal feed, bran, oil cake, silage,. other inputs had risen by 60-75 per cent. “Additionally, the costs of petrol, diesel, electricity, cutting, storage and logistics have also increased manifold,” he added.
He said that the costs of medicines, vaccines and veterinary services had also risen sharply. “Similarly, labour costs have increased significantly due to inflation and market conditions,” he stated.
The DCFA president warned that without an increase of Rs100 per litre in fresh milk price, the sector will face a “collapse,” leading to a severe milk shortage in urban centres. major difficulties for the public.
Talking toDawn, DCFA leader Shakir Umer Gujjar said that the dairy sector was a critical part of Pakistan’s food supply. rural economy.
“If production halts, cities will face acute milk shortages,. consumers who are already struggling with inflation will suffer more”, he added.
It is pertinent to mention that on April 26. the city authorities had set the fresh milk retail price at Rs240/kg, a Rs20/litre increase from the previous rate.
The cattle farmers’ representative claimed the actual cost of milk production for farmers was about Rs300/litre.
He said. the farmers planned to raise prices on their own in June if the government did not issue a revised notification. “We will increase the price in June,” he said, warning that retail prices would inevitably follow.
Without a correction, he said, the price of loose milk could climb to Rs300/litre.
Milk looks thinner, tastes watery, citizens complain
While city authorities have linked any price increase to improved quality standards. consumers say the quality of fresh milk has been steadily deteriorating.
“My kids. I drink milk every morning, but now it tastes watery and leaves a weird smell”, said Samreen Hasan, a housewife in Saddar.
A resident of Malir Extension Colony said the quality of milk was getting worse every day. “I used to buy milk directly from a nearby cattle pen and trust it. Now I’m not sure if it’s milk or just water with powder,” he said.
Tauseef Shah. a resident of Gulshan-i-Iqbal, said the quality of milk has got so bad that his stomach couldn’t handle it anymore. Kiran Javed. a resident of City Railway Colony who works at a wholesale rice shop in Jodia Bazar, said she had stopped giving loose milk to her three-year-old son because of its deteriorating quality. “I have switched to ‘powdered milk’, even though it’s more expensive,” she added.
Another housewife in the Federal B. Area complained that the milk looked thinner and spoiled faster.
‘Increase in price not under consideration’
A senior official, who did not wish to be named, said that it was correct that the cost of production had risen significantly, driven by the export of animal meat. an unregulated increase in feed prices.
He said that the authorities had approved a Rs20/litre increase last month. “We cannot grant a larger hike at this time due to public outcry over inflation,. as a result, the quality of milk has been severely compromised,” he added.
The official said that for now, a further increase was not under consideration.
Published in Dawn, May 14th, 2026
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