India Faces Milk Fat Shortage Driving Up Butter and Ghee Prices
India's milk production has grown from 165.1 million tonnes in 2016 to 216.5 million tonnes in 2025 but is expected to slow due to feed shortages and drought linked to El Niño. The main issue is a shortage of milk fat rather than milk volume, causing butter and ghee prices to rise significantly. Butter prices increased by over 54% between 2023 and 2026, while skimmed milk powder prices rose by 18%. Processing and distribution costs further elevate ghee's retail price to around Rs 755-762 per litre.
First-hand measurement across 2 sources
We measured how 2 outlets covered this story. No outlet gave this story a measurable political slant — there is no left–right reading to report. Overall sentiment is neutral (50/100). Lens Score 49/100.
Outlets measured: thefinancialexpress, indianexpress. See how each one headlined and framed the same story in the source comparison below.
AI Analysis
Sentiment was consistent across outlets (48–52/100), indicating broadly factual reporting rather than editorialising.
Coverage timeline
indianexpress broke this story on 7 Nov, 11:10 pm. Other outlets followed.
- 1