Mumbai, Aug 9: Milk prices in Maharashtra will increase by Rs 2 per litre for both cow and buffalo milk from August 11 after the Milk Producers and Processors Welfare Association decided to revise retail rates, a move that is expected to impact consumers across the state.

The price hike comes amid ongoing debates over milk pricing and efforts to balance the interests of dairy farmers with those of consumers facing rising household expenses.

Producers and processors have argued that higher procurement and operational costs have necessitated the increase.

The development follows the Centre’s recent clarification that it has no proposal to introduce a Minimum Support Price (MSP) for milk, maintaining that prices will continue to be determined by cooperatives and private dairies based on prevailing market conditions.

In a written reply to a starred question in the Lok Sabha last month, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, also known as Lalan Singh, said milk pricing remains a market-driven process and that the government is not considering an MSP mechanism for the sector.

The minister said the government is implementing a range of measures aimed at safeguarding dairy farmers’ interests, stabilising milk prices, protecting consumers and strengthening quality monitoring across the dairy value chain.

According to the government, efforts are underway to bring more producers into the organised dairy sector.

As of March 2026, a total of 36,283 new village-level Dairy Cooperative Societies had been established, while 31,150 existing societies had been strengthened.

The government also created milk chilling capacity of 168 lakh litres per day and distributed 76,748 milk quality testing devices across the country.

In addition, projects with a combined milk processing and value-addition capacity of 418 lakh litres per day have been approved to enhance infrastructure and improve efficiency in the dairy sector.

The government highlighted the strong growth in India’s milk production over the past decade.

Milk output rose to 248 million metric tonnes in 2024-25 from 146 million metric tonnes in 2014-15, registering an increase of about 69 per cent.

Mumbai, Aug 9: Indian stock markets are likely to remain volatile next week as investors track a busy earnings calendar, the release of July retail inflation data, movements in crude oil prices, geopolitical developments surrounding the US-Iran conflict and foreign institutional investor (FII) flows.

Indian equities ended the week on a positive note despite heightened volatility, with investors assessing the implementation of the new Closing Auction Session (CAS) framework for F&O stocks, the Reserve Bank of India’s monetary policy decision and persistent geopolitical uncertainties.

The Sensex gained 0.52 per cent over the week to close at 78,499.17, while the Nifty rose 0.77 per cent to finish at 24,570.65.

A key focus for investors next week will be the ongoing Q1 FY27 earnings season. Several prominent companies are scheduled to announce their April-June quarter results.

Markets will also react to India’s July retail inflation data, which is scheduled to be released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) on August 12.

Geopolitical developments, particularly those involving the US, Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, will remain another major market trigger.

Iran has reportedly put forward fresh conditions for reopening the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, while the UAE has reported that one of its vessels was targeted by an Iranian missile.

Any further escalation in geopolitical tensions or delays in reopening the shipping route could put additional pressure on crude prices.

FII activity will also remain on investors’ radar. Foreign institutional investors turned net buyers of Indian equities on Friday, snapping their brief selling streak.

According to provisional exchange data, FIIs purchased shares worth Rs 12,941.31 crore and sold equities worth Rs 12,461.07 crore, resulting in a net inflow of Rs 480.24 crore.

Domestic institutional investors (DIIs) continued to support the market, recording a net inflow of Rs 235.56 crore on Friday. DIIs bought equities worth Rs 15,679.58 crore and sold shares worth Rs 15,444.02 crore.

New Delhi : India exported more than 7,000 metric tonnes of Makhana and value-added Makhana products to over 20 international destinations, including the US, the Middle East and Africa, in last fiscal (FY26), the government informed on Saturday.

Bihar accounts for nearly 85 per cent of India’s Makhana production. To further strengthen the sector, a separate HS Code for Makhana came into effect from July last year under the Finance Bill, 2025.

In a new feat, APEDA facilitated first-ever commercial sea shipment of 18 metric tonnes of GI-tagged Mithila Makhana from the BIADA Industrial Area in Bihta, Bihar, to Australia.

The consignment, sourced from Makhana growers of Darbhanga district, is expected to strengthen the international presence of Bihar’s flagship GI product while creating enhanced income opportunities for farmers through export-led market access, according to Commerce Ministry.

The initiative has enabled farmers to realise nearly 18 per cent higher returns than prevailing market rates, highlighting the benefits of export-oriented value chains and direct market linkages.

The export is expected to strengthen the international presence of GI-tagged Mithila Makhana, create sustainable export opportunities for Bihar’s Makhana sector and contribute to higher farmer incomes.

State Agriculture Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha said Makhana is the identity of Bihar and greater participation of Bihar-based exporters in international trade would enable farmers to secure better price realisation.

He emphasised the importance of maintaining quality standards to meet global market requirements and stated that the Government of Bihar is continuously working to strengthen the Makhana value chain by supporting growers, processors and exporters.

The minister further said that all necessary support would continue to be extended to the Phori community, whose traditional skills are integral to Makhana processing.

The first-ever sea shipment of GI-tagged Mithila Makhana to Australia reflects the growing global demand for Bihar’s agricultural products and opens new opportunities for farmers and exporters, he added.