Four out of 10 households feeling pinch of higher milk prices, survey shows

59% stuck to their preferred brands, 19% cut down on consumption; 16% moved to cheaper alternatives of the same brand; a small number bought local milk or completely stopped consumption

Milk prices have soared over the past one year with hikes of over Rs 12 a litre in some brands. Rising food and fodder cost and difficulty in sourcing milk for companies due to low supplies even during the flush season are some reasons for the steep rise in prices.

Almost 80 per cent of the price that the consumer pays for milk is passed on to the farmers as purchase cost. A recent survey by Local Circles showed that four out of 10 Indian households are feeling the pinch of higher milk prices.

Among them, almost 59 per cent of the households surveyed said they are paying higher prices and buying the same quantity of milk from their preferred brand, while 19 per cent said they are cutting down on milk consumption. Around 16 per cent of the respondents accepted having switched on to some cheaper alternative of the same brand.

About three per cent of the respondents have switched to some local source of milk while an equal number has completely stopped buying milk. The survey received responses from over 10,000 citizens in 303 districts.

Sixty four  per cent of the respondents were men while 36 per cent were women. Forty five per cent were from tier-1, 33 per cent from tier-2 and 22 per cent of the respondents were from tier-3, 4 and rural districts.