Sub-headline
Consumers across Maharashtra will have to pay Rs 2 more per litre for both cow and buffalo milk from August 11.
The revision comes amid efforts to balance higher returns for dairy farmers with affordable milk prices for households.
Highlights
- Milk prices in Maharashtra will increase by Rs 2 per litre from August 11, 2026.
- The price revision will apply to both cow and buffalo milk.
- The decision was taken by the Milk Producers and Processors Welfare Association.
- The Centre recently told Parliament that there is no proposal to introduce an MSP for milk.
- Milk prices are currently determined by cooperatives and private dairies based on market conditions.
- India’s milk production increased from 146 MMT in 2014-15 to 248 MMT in 2024-25.
Mumbai: Household milk bills are set to increase in Maharashtra as prices of both cow and buffalo milk will rise by Rs 2 per litre from Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
The decision has been taken by the Milk Producers and Processors Welfare Association and is expected to affect consumers across Maharashtra as producers and processors revise retail prices.
For a household consuming two litres of milk every day, a Rs 2-per-litre increase translates into an additional expenditure of about Rs 120 a month, assuming the full increase is passed on to consumers. Families consuming three litres daily could see their monthly milk expenditure increase by around Rs 180.
The revision comes amid continuing discussions over how milk prices should balance the interests of dairy farmers, processors and consumers.
The Centre recently informed Parliament that it has no proposal to introduce a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for milk.
Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh said in a Lok Sabha reply that milk prices are currently determined by cooperatives and private dairies depending on market conditions.
The government, however, has been implementing measures aimed at strengthening India’s dairy infrastructure and protecting farmers’ interests.
By March 2026, 36,283 new Dairy Cooperative Societies had been established at the village level, while another 31,150 societies had been strengthened.
The government has also created milk chilling capacity of 168 lakh litres per day and distributed 76,748 quality-testing devices. Projects providing a combined milk processing and value-addition capacity of 418 lakh litres per day have also been approved.
India’s overall milk production has expanded substantially over the past decade. Production increased from around 146 million metric tonnes in 2014-15 to 248 million metric tonnes in 2024-25, representing growth of about 69%.
The latest Maharashtra price increase, however, will have a more immediate impact on household budgets because milk is an everyday essential.
The impact could also extend indirectly to products such as tea, coffee, sweets and other milk-based food items if businesses decide to pass higher input costs on to customers.
