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Profit-margin in packaged milk creates doubts

It refers to a reputed brand Nova of milk vigorously advertising for sale of full-cream milk now at much reduced price of just rupees 45 per litre instead of earlier rupees 51 per litre. Patanjali is giving biscuit-pack worth rupees five free with one litre cow-milk priced at rupees 40 per litre against rupees 42 per litre by Mother Dairy. A new brand Namaste India made an alarming entry in marketing of packaged milk with very huge advertisement and sale-promotion expenses including providing free packs of milk on some initial quantity. Otherwise also heavy advertisement-expenses are being done for branded milk marketed by famous giants of co-operative sector like Mother Dairy and Amul.

All this leads to doubt about extra-ordinary profit-margin on essential item of milk. There are also talks about supply of branded milk by different companies that they are supplying packaged milk by processing of imported milk-powder. Union Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Department of Consumer Affairs and other concerned ministries and departments of Government of India should study of milk-marketing in a manner that benefit of competition, advertisement and sale-promotion expenses may be passed on to consumers by reduction in price of packaged milk. Companies should also compulsorily print prominently on milk-packs if prepared from milk-powder.

Since some popular brands have started gimmick packaging of 400 milli-litres also to look like half-litre pack, milk should be allowed to be packed only in packs of half, two and five litres pack abolishing unpopular packs of one and six litres.

 

SUBHASH CHANDRA AGRAWAL

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