BENGALURU: After the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) lost out on the tender to supply Nandini ghee to the Tirupati Tirumala Devastanam (TTD) for preparation of the famous laddu prasadam, the federation president Bheema Naik said KMF is ready to participate in the tender, but at its price.
He said KMF never declined to supply ghee, but said Nandini will not compromise on the prices. “We are ready to participate in the tender process, but they have to agree to our price. There is no question of accepting their price”, he said.
Bheema Naik also pointed out the KMF did not supply ghee in 2021 and 2022. “We have been supplying ghee since 2005 after participating in tenders. But we cannot supply at competitive prices now. The Nandini brand is in great demand abroad too and our customers trust the brand. We were supplying ghee at Rs 392 per kg to the TTD through tankers. But they create problems by holding up the tankers for weeks”.
The KMF chief said that it is widely known that Nandini ghee is used to prepare the famour laddu prasadam. “We can supply more than they want, but only at MRP. This issue should not be politicised by the BJP”, he added.