KARACHI - Acute shortage of fresh milk hits Karachi as milk retailers decided to not buy milk from wholesalers and selling to consumers. The milk retailers also threaten to go on strike if administration did not take action against increase on milk price by wholesalers, on Wednesday, they (retailers) did not collect milk from wholesale market till the wholesalers will decrease the price of milk.

Following the rift between wholesalers and retailers, Karachiites were facing acute shortage of milk because mostly milk shops were closed as protest while few shops are selling the commodity but at high prices. A milk retailer Faisal asked that “How do we sell it at lower price when we buy it on high prices? Adding that Wholesale price for milk is over Rs85 per kg and administration forced the retailers to sale at the same rate”, he said. The retailers starts their protest from Wednesday morning and stopped purchasing of milk from wholesale market but Karachi Administration and wholesalers failed to settle the price issue till filling the news item.

It is worth to mentioning here that the city demand of milk about 4.5 million liters per day but the current situation creates shortage of 1.5 million liters.

President All Karachi Milk Retailers Association (AKMRA) Hafiz Nisar said that they cannot sell milk at the official price Rs. 85 per liter when we buy it at higher prices. They said that the administration instead of taking action against wholesaler is raiding shops of retailers. Nisar demanded that administration forced to the wholesalers to reduce the milk price and also ensure the implementation on the set rates. 

It is pertinent to mentioning here that Supreme Court in a verdict ordered that the milk price will not be increased.

Following the issue, Commissioner Karachi chaired a meeting with milk retailers, wholesalers and dairy farmers in which issue was discussed while the meeting was not concluded till filing this report.