The Hindu : Other States / Orissa News : Book your sweets for this Diwali in advance

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Other States

Other States - Orissa

Book your sweets for this Diwali in advance

Staff Reporter

Prices to shoot up during festival period

Sweets will be in short supply as dealers decide to cut down production
UMBS sets deadline to State to reconsider decision of OMFED on milk price hike

BHUBANESWAR: Book your sweets for the coming Diwali now as exchange of sweets during the festival might cost you dearly. Sweets will be in short supply across the State with sweetmeat dealers deciding to cut down volume of sweet production in view of rise in milk prices.

Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, President of Utkal Mishtanna Byabasayee Samitee (UMBS) Bimbadhar Behera said, “we cannot cope with the hiked milk price. The more we will produce sweets, the more we will lose. And we don’t want to burden our customers by raising sweets’ price during Diwali.”

The best option available with the sweetmeat dealer was to cut down the sweet production and stay in their business, Mr. Behera said.

The UMBS had set a deadline of November 1 for the State government to reconsider the decision of Orissa State Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation Limited (OMFED) to increase milk price.

“If there will be no change in status of milk price by this month-end, we will be forced to rise the sweet price by Rs. 40,” members of UMBS announced here.

“We are under tremendous pressure. During last 12 months, OMFED has increased milk price by Rs. 8 per litre. Compared to upward revision of milk price, we have not increased sweets’ price. Now price of cheese, the essential raw material, would become costlier by Rs. 20 per kg,” Mr. Behera said.

If the threat comes out to be a reality, there would be shortage during Diwali. And the sweets’ price would automatically go up and size would shrink.

Dealers blame OMFED

Sweetmeat dealers squarely blamed OMFED authorities for the present crisis. “Giving more money into the hands of milk farmers is not a solution. The federation should have created right kind of environment by expanding grazing fields for cows and replaced ailing cows by healthy ones for constant supply of milk,” said UMBS secretary Sujit Podar.

Coming down heavily on the OMFED authorities, Mr. Podar said, “we have impressed policy makers to keep the Value Added Tax on selling of sweets at 4 per cent whereas the federation, an autonomous body of State government that supply milk to most parts of the State, pays 12 per cent VAT.”

“The difference of 8 per cent is a huge amount and it could have solved the problem. OMFED should have reformed its system rather than transferring the burden on to common people,” UMBS secretary said.

Irritated over “inconsistent” market policy of OMFED, the sweetmeat dealers are now contemplating to float a parallel federation, which would procure milk as well as cheese directly from milk farmers.

As a mark of protest, sweetmeat dealers will shut down their shops on Wednesday and stage a demonstration on Master Canteen Square. Sweet outlets at Puri, Bhubaneswar, Berhampur, Nimapara, Sambalpur, Rourkela, Konark and Salipur will remain closed.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Other States