City hotels may raise tea and coffee prices following Rs 8 hike of Nandini Milk

Bengaluru: Tea and coffee could become more expensive at hotels and darshinis across Bengaluru from November 1, following the Karnataka government’s decision to increase the price of Nandini milk by ₹8 per litre.

The Bengaluru Hotels Association has expressed strong dissatisfaction over the hike and decided to increase the prices of food and beverages prepared using milk and milk products.Currently, a cup of tea or coffee at hotels in the city costs between ₹20 and ₹48. These prices are expected to rise from November 1. Prices of curd, butter, ghee and sweets made using khova, particularly North Indian delicacies, are also likely to increase.

Association president PC Rao said the ₹8 increase per litre was unprecedented and would place an additional burden on the common people. “The increase in milk prices will have a serious impact on the hotel industry as well as consumers,” he said. He pointed out that transportation costs for rice, pulses and other essential food items had also increased. Hotel owners would therefore raise prices in phases, he said.

Rao urged the government to control the administrative expenditure of the dairy sector and provide incentives to farmers to help contain price increases. The government should also take the financial difficulties of ordinary consumers into serious consideration, he said.

The rising prices of cooking gas and essential commodities have further compounded the difficulties faced by the hotel industry, he added.“Instead of increasing the price by ₹2 or ₹3 per litre, the government has suddenly raised it by ₹8. This is unfair to consumers. The government should regulate the prices of Nandini milk and milk products,” Rao said.

With the milk price hike likely to push up tea and coffee prices at hotels, consumers already struggling with rising living costs may face an additional burden.

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The Hans India