Local dairy producers say they will not reduce the prices of local milk products despite the appreciation of the Sri Lankan rupee against the US dollar.
However, the Milk Powder Importers’ Associations members have slashed the price of imported milk powder. Accordingly, the price of a 01 kg packet of milk powder was slashed by Rs. 200 and a 400 gm packet by Rs. 80 in keeping with the government’s decision.
Meanwhile, the local milk producers said that 90 percent of their revenue is distributed among the milk farmers for providing them with fresh milk while the remaining amount of the profit has to be spent on fuel expenses for company vehicles. They claim that though the fuel prices have been reduced, this reduction has no direct bearing on the prices of the local dairy products.
“We manufacture and distribute milk products to the country. We prevent the outflow of foreign exchange from the country. Also, we do not import anything from other countries for the dairy product manufacturing process. Therefore, there is no point in slashing the prices of dairy products,” said an official from a local milk products manufacturing company.
However, the chairman of the Local Milk Powder Producers’ Association Ariyasiri Withanage said that steps have been taken to lower the price of locally produced milk powder since yesterday (March 03).
According to the notification of the Consumer Affairs Authority of Sri Lanka (CAA), the price reductions are with the aim of providing relief to the people. (Chaturanga Pradeep Samarawickrama)
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