13 August 2007

2 minute read

Asia

In the fields of agriculture credit, fertilizer disbursement, sugar production, handloom, etc, the cooperatives have created a strong niche. However, the contribution of cooperatives to Indias dairy industry is enormous. The cooperatives have ushered in milk revolution in the country.

The dairy industry has made India proud in recent times. India is the leading producer of milk in the world. Dairy cooperatives are the backbone of Indian dairy industry. Dairy cooperatives have excelled in their areas of cooperatives. The figures justify this. When the cooperative dairy movement was started, the daily per capita milk consumption was 106ml. Today, it is 250ml or 90 kg per year. Milk is the country's number one agricultural commodity. The estimated value of milk to producers, most of them marginal, small, and landless is more than $20.

What is the reason for success of dairy cooperatives? The reason is simple. It is empowerment. These cooperatives are not controlled by the government. The farmers own and manage them based upon the needs and demands of the community. The germs of milk revolution were laid down way back in 1946 in a small town called Anand in Western India.

Tired of exploitation by traders and local private dairy, the milk producers organized themselves into village dairy cooperatives. These cooperatives federated into the Kaira Milk Producers Union. Soon it had its first dairy plant. It started producing and marketing milk products under the brand name Amul. Under the charismatic leadership of V. Kurien, the father of milk revolution, the Amul model of cooperatives soon became an example for others to emulate. The government wanted the Amul model to be replicated in other parts of the country. Its own controlled dairy cooperatives had failed. Amul is today the most popular brand of milk.

Source: The Cheers