Milk retailers make a killing on the MRP

MUMBAI: An extra charge of 50 paise to Re 1 on every packet of milk may not be pinching you much but milk retailers across the city are making a killing of about Rs 35 lakh daily or Rs 120 crore a year.

Mumbai sells over 50 lakh litres of milk every morning, the highest in the country, but on an average every packet of milk sells at a premium of Re 1, translating into an unaccounted-for profit of Rs 35 lakh every morning for retail sellers.

But all this may change very soon. The rampant overcharging on the printed price of milk packets by distributors may come under strong scrutiny from the government as consumer forums and citizens from different suburbs have decided to take the matter to the milk producers and then to the consumer court if necessary.

“The number of complaints are increasing. Distributors are charging 50 paise to Re 1 more on the MRP. We will take up this issue with the milk producers soon,” said Shirish Deshpande of Mumbai Grahak Panchayat.