KATHMANDU.
The Dairy Development Corporation (DDC) has reduced the price of ghee, butter and powder milk as the stock has increased with the slump in the sale of milk and milk products due to the lockdown. The government-owned corporation has given discount of Rs 20 per litre on the price of ghee, of Rs 80 per litre on the price of butter and of Rs 10 on the price of powder milk. DDC director-general Rudra Prasad Poudel said along with the retail price of ghee, discount of one to five per cent has also been provided in its wholesale price.
According to him, one per cent discount is given when a customer buys 300 to 500 litres milk at wholesale price of Rs 830 per litre. Similarly, two per cent discount is given on purchase of 500 litres to 1,000 litres, three per cent discount is offered on purchase of 1,000 to 3,000 litres and four per cent discount is given on purchase of 3,000 to 5,000 litres and five per cent discount is provided on purchase of more than 5,000 litres ghee. The Rs 20 discount will be available only while buying from the DDCs sale centres at Lainchaur, Khumaltar, New Road and Project Centre. DDC’s economist Ajjan Adhikari shared that Rs 80 discount would be provided on purchase of more than 1,000 litres butter and Rs 10 discount is available on purchase of same quantity of powder milk. According to him, before this the price of butter was Rs780 per litre while that of powder milk was Rs 600 per litre.
The discount on butter and powder milk would be available only when purchasing these products from the DDC’s project centres Balaju, Biratnagar, Janakpur, Dhalkebar, Hetauda, Butwal, Kohalpur, Attariya and Kailali. Similarly, Rs 10 per litre discount is given on purchase of more than 1,000 litres of whole milk (milk with fat content) that is sold to Nepal Army. Before this, the wholesale price of whole milk was Rs 750 per litre. The price of canned ghee was Rs 920 per litre and that of packet ghee was Rs 900 per litre before June 17. Decrease by 12 per cent
Director-general Poudel said there has been a gradual improvement in the sale of milk and milk products with the relaxation of the lockdown. As per the data shared by DDC, the sale of milk has increased by 4 per cent at present compared to the period before lockdown was eased. However, the consumption of other dairy products has declined. Milk consumption has decreased by 12 per cent daily in the Kathmandu Valley alone compared to the period before the lockdown. As Poudel said, 87 thousand litres milk was sold daily in Kathmandu Valley alone before the lockdown. But it has decreased to 76 thousand litres per day at present. Similarly, the consumption of yoghurt has also reduced by 40 per cent.
