Farmers cite rising feed, fodder, labour and animal-maintenance costs; informal dairy groups seek uniform pricing across districts.
Chandigarh: Consumers in several parts of Haryana may soon have to pay ₹100 per litre for buffalo milk, as village- and block-level dairy farmers’ groups have announced plans to raise prices, citing a sharp increase in the cost of feed, fodder, transportation and livestock maintenance.
Buffalo milk is currently being sold by dairy farmers at around ₹60–₹80 per litre, depending on milk quality and other factors. Farmers argue that the prevailing prices are no longer sufficient to cover rising production costs and provide a remunerative return.
The proposed price revision has gained momentum across Jind, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Rohtak and Hisar, where dairy farmers have held meetings to discuss coordinated pricing.
New prices from September 5 in parts of Hisar
In Bhaini Amirpur village of Hansi, dairy farmers have announced that the revised prices will come into effect from September 5.
Under the proposed pricing structure:
- Buffalo milk: ₹100/litre
- Cow milk: ₹80/litre
- Lassi: ₹20/litre
Farmers in neighbouring Rajthal and Thurana villages have reportedly supported the decision.
Dairy groups propose penalties for undercutting
In Julana in Jind district, members of the Dairy Operators’ Association held a meeting chaired by its president, Manoj Kumar, and announced similar rates.
The association proposed:
- Buffalo milk — ₹100/litre
- Cow milk — ₹80/litre
- Ghee — ₹1,500/kg
- Cow-milk ghee — ₹2,500/kg
The association also announced a proposed ₹21,000 fine for anyone selling milk or milk products below the agreed rates.
Farmers’ groups say the objective is to prevent price undercutting and maintain a common price structure among local sellers.
Feed and fodder costs rise sharply
Farmers say the economics of dairy farming have become increasingly difficult because of higher input costs.
Manoj Kumar said the price of cattle feed had increased from around ₹1,800 to ₹3,000, while wheat fodder had doubled to approximately ₹1,000 per quintal.
Dairy operators also cited increases in the prices of oilcake, jaggery, green fodder, medicines, labour and transportation.
The cost of purchasing productive buffaloes and other milch animals has also risen, increasing the capital required to establish and expand dairy farms.
Demand for higher procurement prices
The farmers’ concerns are not limited to direct-to-consumer milk sales.
According to the dairy groups, farmers in some districts have submitted memoranda to Vita cooperative plants, seeking an increase of around ₹2–₹3 per kg in raw milk procurement prices.
This highlights the difference between two segments of the dairy market: farmers selling milk directly to consumers can attempt to revise retail prices, while farmers supplying organised dairy cooperatives remain dependent on the procurement price offered by the milk union.
Meetings spread across districts
Similar meetings have been reported in several villages.
In Barna village of Kurukshetra district, dairy farmers met to discuss the proposed rates and urged milk sellers to follow the agreed pricing structure.
Also Read: Buffalo Meat Exports Open New Markets and Strengthen India’s Dairy Economy
A similar meeting was also held in Dhanauri village of Kaithal district.
Village- and block-level associations, most of which operate as informal groups, are reportedly communicating with farmer groups in other districts in an attempt to establish greater uniformity in milk and dairy-product prices.
Is ₹100/litre economically justified?
The farmers’ demand comes against the backdrop of longstanding concerns over the profitability of small and medium dairy farms.
Richa Sharma, a researcher associated with the Supreme Court-appointed High Powered Committee on Agrarian Reforms, said that ₹100 per litre for buffalo milk could be considered reasonable, while ₹80 per litre for cow milk may be relatively high.
According to Sharma, input-cost studies suggest that cow milk could be remunerative for farmers at around ₹70 per kg.
She also pointed to findings from the Situation Assessment of Agricultural Households and Land and Livestock Holdings of Households in Rural India, 2019, which highlighted the economic challenges faced by livestock owners, including concerns over the returns generated from dairy farming.
The bigger issue: dairy farm economics
The Haryana price movement reflects a larger challenge facing dairy farmers: the gap between the cost of maintaining a milch animal and the price received for milk.
For a dairy farmer, the effective cost of milk production includes much more than cattle feed. It encompasses:
Feed + green fodder + dry fodder + labour + veterinary care + breeding + electricity + transportation + shed maintenance + animal replacement cost + interest/depreciation
A higher retail milk price can improve farmer margins, but the sustainability of the dairy sector ultimately depends on whether farmers receive a stable and remunerative price linked to their production costs.
The proposed ₹100-per-litre buffalo milk price could therefore become an important test of how much consumers are willing to pay for locally produced milk—and whether higher retail prices translate into better economics for dairy farmers.
For Haryana’s dairy sector, the immediate question is no longer simply how much milk costs at the consumer end. It is whether the price received by the farmer is sufficient to make keeping a productive buffalo or cow an economically viable livelihood.
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