Photo Credit: HT
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah has launched a new dairy federation and a salt cooperative in Gujarat, signaling a strong push toward rural empowerment and cooperative reform. The initiative, aimed at uplifting Gujarat farmers, was announced during a high-profile event at the Amul Dairy campus in Anand. It also marked the fourth anniversary of the Ministry of Cooperation and the 150th birth anniversary year of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Sardar Patel Cooperative Dairy Federation: A New Model
The newly introduced Sardar Patel Cooperative Dairy Federation is inspired by the Amul model and aims to create a multi-state cooperative that ensures fair milk pricing, direct farmer benefits, and efficient market linkage. Amit Shah highlighted how the initiative will provide long-term stability to milk producers by integrating modern technology and ethical business practices into India’s dairy ecosystem.
Salt Cooperative for Kutch’s Agariyas
The second major launch was the Kutch District Salt Cooperative Society, designed to directly benefit Gujarat’s salt workers, known as Agariyas. Gujarat produces over 70% of India’s salt, yet the workers involved often struggle with low wages and unstable markets. The salt cooperative will ensure fair pricing and collective bargaining, giving Agariyas a stronger voice and better livelihood security.
Infrastructure Boost for Dairy Sector
According to the Hindustan Times, the event also saw the virtual inauguration of major infrastructure projects, including a ₹365 crore expansion of the Dr Verghese Kurien cheese plant in Kheda and the chocolate manufacturing facility in Mogar. A ₹45 crore Ready-to-Use Culture plant at NDDB’s Anand campus was also launched, along with the inauguration of the new NCDFI building—‘Maniben Patel Bhawan’—and the foundation stone laying for a new NDDB headquarters.
Four Years of Cooperative Reforms
Reflecting on the achievements of the Ministry of Cooperation over the past four years, Shah said that over 60 reforms have been introduced. Key among them are the formation of the national Tribhuvan Sahkari University, digital registries for over 2 lakh Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), and six national-level cooperatives—three for grains and three for dairy.
He urged cooperative bodies to embrace transparency, technology, and a member-first culture, stating that outdated systems must evolve or risk becoming irrelevant in a rapidly changing economic landscape.
Scaling the Amul Legacy Nationwide
Shah praised Amul’s role as a beacon of cooperative success. With over 36 lakh women farmers associated with Amul in Gujarat and 20 lakh more across India, the brand has a current turnover of ₹80,000 crore, projected to surpass ₹1 lakh crore next year. He stressed that profits have directly benefitted more than 56 lakh women farmers, highlighting the model’s transformative power for rural India.
A National Vision for Cooperatives
Amit Shah also revealed that a National Cooperation Policy is in the final stages of development. The policy envisions a cooperative society in every Indian village, enabling grassroots job creation and income growth. He emphasized that reforms in the cooperative sector should align with India’s broader development goals, especially in agriculture, food processing, housing, and fisheries.
He also paid tribute to Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee, connecting the cooperative movement with India’s constitutional and federal vision.
Why This Matters
The launch of the dairy federation and salt cooperative is more than symbolic. It reflects a clear policy direction to revive and modernize India’s cooperative sector. By focusing on transparency, technology, and farmer-centric governance, the initiatives aim to make cooperatives relevant and competitive in the 21st-century economy.
With Gujarat as a model, the government hopes to replicate similar structures across India—ensuring that both agriculture and allied sectors benefit from the cooperative approach.
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