Mumbai: Milk will become costlier in Maharashtra from Tuesday, August 11, with the price of both cow and buffalo milk set to increase by Rs 2 per litre. The hike has been decided by the Milk Producers and Processors Welfare Association and is set to affect consumers across the state.

The increase comes at a time when the question of how milk prices are fixed and whether dairy farmers should receive a guaranteed minimum price is being discussed at the national level.

The Centre last month told Parliament that there was no proposal to introduce a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for milk, meaning milk prices will continue to be determined by cooperatives and private dairies based on market conditions.

In a written reply to a starred question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh, also known as Lalan Singh, said the government was not considering fixing an MSP for milk.

Why milk prices are being watched closely

The Maharashtra price revision comes amid continued discussions around balancing the interests of dairy farmers with the impact of rising milk prices on consumers.

The government said it was taking several measures aimed at protecting dairy farmers, stabilising milk prices, safeguarding consumer interests and strengthening quality monitoring in the dairy sector.

However, unlike several agricultural commodities for which the government announces MSPs, milk prices are currently left to cooperatives and private dairies, with market conditions playing a key role.

According to the Centre, efforts are also underway to bring more milk producers into the organised dairy sector.

By March 2026, 36,283 new Dairy Cooperative Societies (DCS) had been established at the village level, while 31,150 existing societies had been strengthened, the government said.

The government also reported the creation of 168 lakh litres per day of milk chilling capacity and the distribution of 76,748 quality testing devices.

Projects with a combined milk processing and value-addition capacity of 418 lakh litres per day have also been approved, according to the government.

India's milk production rises sharply

The Centre said India's milk production reached 248 million metric tonnes (MMT) in 2024-25, compared with 146 MMT in 2014-15, an increase of about 69 per cent over the period.

The growth has been attributed to measures including breed development, genetic improvement, free artificial insemination, sex-sorted semen and in-vitro fertilisation.

The government said 17.27 crore artificial inseminations had been carried out, with coverage increasing from 20 per cent to 42 per cent. It also said these measures had helped increase milk productivity by 67 per cent.

For consumers in Maharashtra, however, the immediate change will be at the retail level, with both cow and buffalo milk prices set to go up by Rs 2 per litre from August 11.

With ANI inputs