Milking the future: New federation to unite India's 20L milk producers
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The soon-to-be-announced Sardar Patel Co-operative Dairy Federation (SPCDF) will bring together the relatively unorganised farmers from 20 states who currently pour nearly 100 lakh litres of milk per day (LLPD) through 20,000 'mandalis' and significantly supplement their incomes.
This fresh chapter in India's cooperative sector is being scripted from 'Milk City' Anand, also the birthplace of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which markets the $11 billion homegrown brand Amul.
These farmers, who operate from a relatively informal setup at present, will get the benefits of various govt schemes.
Importantly, SPCDF is being formed in the year which not only marks the International Year of Cooperatives, the fourth year of the formation of the union cooperation ministry, Ministry of Cooperation, but also the 150th birth anniversary year of Sardar Patel, who sowed the seeds of Amul.
Gujarat is also the headquarters of the 1965-established National Dairy Development Board.
Sources said the governing structure of the new federation will comprise multiple stakeholders, including a GCMMF representative (20% equity), representatives of 10 milk unions of Gujarat (60% equity), and three board members representing farmers from outside Gujarat (20% equity).
Currently, Gujarat is home to 18 milk unions, which are members of GCMMF. Of these, 10 milk unions, including Banas Dairy, Sabar Dairy, Amul Dairy, and Mehsana's Dudhsagar Dairy, procure close to 100 LLPD milk from states like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Bihar, among others.
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Amul's member unions are fast expanding their national footprint to cover other states as well.
"SPCDF will be formed and governed under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) Act. The members of these societies formed under the Amul model will get all the benefits, including government schemes. This is essentially a move towards the goal of White Revolution 2.0 as envisioned by GOI to expand the dairy cooperatives network, making them efficient and effective," said an official close to the development.
"Effectively, this will expand the national cooperative network," the official said.
Currently, with a network of 36 lakh farmers across 18,600 villages of Gujarat and 18 member unions that procure 300 LLPD, GCMMF (Amul Fed) is the world's largest farmer-owned dairy cooperative. It is ranked 8th among the top 20 dairy companies in the world in terms of milk processing, as per the International Farm Comparison Network (IFCN).
Vadodara: Gujarat is all set to unite the country's 20 lakh dairy farmers with the formation of a new multi-state federation, which is taking shape nearly 50 years after cradling the 'White Revolution' that helped India turn from a milk-deficit to a milk-surplus nation.
The soon-to-be-announced Sardar Patel Co-operative Dairy Federation (SPCDF) will bring together the relatively unorganised farmers from 20 states who currently pour nearly 100 lakh litres of milk per day (LLPD) through 20,000 'mandalis' and significantly supplement their incomes.
This fresh chapter in India's cooperative sector is being scripted from 'Milk City' Anand, also the birthplace of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which markets the $11 billion homegrown brand Amul.
These farmers, who operate from a relatively informal setup at present, will get the benefits of various govt schemes.
Importantly, SPCDF is being formed in the year which not only marks the International Year of Cooperatives, the fourth year of the formation of the union cooperation ministry, Ministry of Cooperation, but also the 150th birth anniversary year of Sardar Patel, who sowed the seeds of Amul.
Gujarat is also the headquarters of the 1965-established National Dairy Development Board. Sources said the governing structure of the new federation will comprise multiple stakeholders, including a GCMMF representative (20% equity), representatives of 10 milk unions of Gujarat (60% equity), and three board members representing farmers from outside Gujarat (20% equity).
Currently, Gujarat is home to 18 milk unions, which are members of GCMMF.
Of these, 10 milk unions, including Banas Dairy, Sabar Dairy, Amul Dairy, and Mehsana's Dudhsagar Dairy, procure close to 100 LLPD milk from states like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Bihar, among others.
Amul's member unions are fast expanding their national footprint to cover other states as well.
"SPCDF will be formed and governed under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (MSCS) Act.
The members of these societies formed under the Amul model will get all the benefits, including government schemes. This is essentially a move towards the goal of White Revolution 2.0 as envisioned by GOI to expand the dairy cooperatives network, making them efficient and effective," said an official close to the development.
"
Effectively, this will expand the national cooperative network," the official said.
Currently, with a network of 36 lakh farmers across 18,600 villages of Gujarat and 18 member unions that procure 300 LLPD, GCMMF (Amul Fed) is the world's largest farmer-owned dairy cooperative. It is ranked 8th among the top 20 dairy companies in the world in terms of milk processing, as per the International Farm Comparison Network (IFCN).
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