Sale of powder milk down, price of raw milk up

High demand for raw milk after the government advised people to refrain from consuming eight brands of powdered milk hiked its price in the city. The photo of sellers bringing in liquid milk to a market was taken at Nawabpur yesterday.Photo: STAR

The sale of all brands of powdered milk dropped significantly in the city during the last two days as the government advised people Thursday not to consume eight brands of imported powdered milk.
A child and nutrition specialist advised mothers to feed their babies breast milk or cow's milk, if the situation required.
During the last two days the price of raw milk increased due to high demand.
Market sources said the demand for cow's milk has started increasing from the day melamine in powdered milk was first detected in China.
The prices of liquid milk of local brands increased to Tk 47 from Tk 44 per litre during the last few weeks. Non-brand cow's milk was selling between Tk 45 and Tk 55 a litre for the last two days; it was selling between Tk 38 and Tk 42 only a few days ago.
Retailers of powdered milk in the city said the sale of powdered milk especially formulas has been decreasing after Eid. They said the sale of almost all brands of powdered milk has dropped by 75 percent after the government advised people not to consume eight brands of powdered milk.
The government advised people Thursday not to consume eight brands of imported powdered milk which a Dhaka University lab found tainted with industrial chemical melamine.
Mohammad Yusuf of Yusuf General Store at Karwan Bazar told The Daily Star that he used to sell 15-20 packs of powdered milk of different brands on an average day but now he cannot even sell five packs.
Customers are even returning powdered milk which they bought a few days ago, said a number of shopkeepers.
"A customer on Wednesday bought a kg of powdered milk for Tk 670, on Thursday he returned the milk and took another brand saying the brand could be contaminated with melamine. A few hours later he returned again to change the brand. He came back again yesterday [Friday] to return powdered milk for the third time… he left with soya bean oil," Yusuf said.
Sraboni, mother of a five-year-old, at Karwan Bazar said she used to feed her child a certain brand of powdered milk but on Thursday she came to know about the government advice. She decided not to feed her child powdered milk.
"I decided to buy cow's milk but failed to find it in the market… now I do not know what to do," she said.
Mahabubul Hasan, former deputy director of Dhaka Shishu Hospital and nutrition specialist, told The Daily Star, "We have always maintained that mothers should feed babies breast milk but those who fail to do so were told to give powdered milk. Now we are suggesting mothers to give their babies cow's milk or liquid milk of local companies."
He also said mothers should feed Khichuri to babies above six months.