In the realm of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, a noteworthy event unfolded on Thursday, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi actively engaged in commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), the illustrious operator behind the globally acclaimed dairy entity, Amul.
Venturing through an exhibition organized for the occasion, the Prime Minister unveiled the Golden Jubilee Coffee Table Book. Within this spectacle, Amul presented an array of its imaginative advertisements, featuring not only the Prime Minister but also his political party, the BJP, and flagship endeavors like Swach Bharat Abhiyan and Make in India.
The Prime Minister meticulously examined the creative ads, accompanied by senior Amul officials. In his subsequent address to the assembly, he extended felicitations for the golden jubilee celebration of GCMMF, emphasizing that a seed planted by Gujarat’s farmers half a century ago has burgeoned into a colossal tree with global branches.
The Prime Minister underscored that, despite numerous brands surfacing in post-independence India, none have rivaled the unique stature of Amul. According to him, Amul embodies trust, progress, public involvement, farmer empowerment, and technological advancements through the ages.
Emphasizing Amul’s global reach, with products exported to over 50 countries, the Prime Minister highlighted its extensive achievements: a network of over 18,000 milk cooperative committees, involving 36,000 farmers, processing a staggering 3.5 crore litres of milk daily, and facilitating online payments to livestock breeders exceeding Rs 200 crores.
Recalling Amul’s origins in the Kheda Milk Union under Sardar Patel’s guidance, the Prime Minister noted the organization’s formation with the expanding cooperative landscape in Gujarat. He stated that in the past decade, milk production soared by nearly 60 percent, with a corresponding 40 percent increase in per capita milk availability.
The Prime Minister articulated that the Indian dairy sector experiences a robust growth rate of 6 percent annually, outpacing the global average of 2 percent. The evolution of India’s dairy sector, marked by the stellar contribution of dairy cooperatives since Operation Flood’s inception, is integral to the nation’s growth narrative, positioning it as the largest global milk producer.
India now contributes a significant 21 percent to the world’s milk production. A historical contrast emerges as, during the 1950s and 1960s, India grappled with being a milk-deficient nation heavily reliant on imports.
The transformative visit of Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri to Gujarat’s Anand district in 1964 catalyzed the formation of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in 1965. Tasked with fostering the ‘Anand pattern’ of dairy cooperatives nationwide through the Operation Flood program, initiated in phases.
Verghese Kurien, acclaimed as the “Father of White Revolution” in India, assumed the NDDB’s inaugural chairmanship. Collaborating with his team, Kurien spearheaded the initiative, envisioning the establishment of Anand-pattern cooperatives in milk sheds across the country. These cooperatives would procure and transport liquid milk to urban centers, marking a pivotal moment in India’s dairy landscape.