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Amul Dairy : A Success Story

milk production Jan 5, 2022

History:

Amul (derived from the Sanskrit term Amulya; the name was provided by an Anand-based quality inspector) is a cooperative milk society founded in 1946. Amul is a brand owned by Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Limited (Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Limited). This company is a co-operative that produces 31 lakh gallons of milk on behalf of its members.

Amul is headquartered in Anand and is a shining example of a cooperative society's long-term prosperity. Amul is a great example of India's white revolution, which has transformed the country into the world's largest producer of milk and milk products. Additionally, it is the world's largest butter brand. Amul is the largest food manufacturer in India and the largest manufacturer and distributor of milk pouches in the world. Apart from India, Amul has visited Mauritius, the United Arab Emirates, the United States of America, Oman, Bangladesh, Australia, China, Singapore, and Hong Kong, as well as a few countries in South Africa. However, because the Japanese market was not as successful as it should have been in the nineteenth century, it will now re-enter the market with new items, and other nations such as Sri Lanka are also regarded competent marketplaces. Dr. Varghese Kurien KJ, Gujarat Co. is the driving force behind Amul's success. His work as an acknowledged former chairman of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) is unmatched.

GCMMF:

GCMMF is India's largest milk marketing organisation. It is the state-level milk cooperative's apex branch. Which generates a profit for farmers and also strives to give high-quality products in the best interests of consumers through their products. Amul is the country's major exporter of dairy products. Amul products are currently accessible in 20 countries worldwide. Amul currently makes a diverse range of products, including milk powder, cheese, and UHT milk. Exports milk, tea, and regional sweets, among other products. The United States, the West Indies, and Africa, the Gulf Provinces, SAARC, and adjacent countries Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Japan, and China are also significant markets.

Commodities:

Milk Powder, Butter, Masti Patient, Buttermilk, Chocolate, Ice Cream, Cream, Shrikhand, Rosemary, Flavored Milk, Bansudi, and so on.

Milk, the catalyst for a revolution:

Six decades ago, farmers in Kheda district lived in similar conditions to those in other regions of India. Their primary source of revenue was nearly exclusively derived from seasonal crops. During the off-season, many impoverished farmers faced famine. Their income from dairy cattle such as buffalo was phenomenal. Contractors and intermediaries were in charge of milk distribution. Due to the perishable nature of milk, producers were forced to sell at whatever price was provided. They were frequently compelled to sell milk and tea at high prices.

Farmers were, for the most part, illiterate. However, they saw that the mechanism by which contractors purchased milk and milk products at a discount and resold them at a profit was simply their ineffective strategy. However, this significance increased when the Bombay government created the Bombay Milk Scheme in 1945. Milk was delivered 427 kilometres from Anand to Bombay. This is possible only if the milk is sterilised in Anand.
Following the initial trial, the Bombay Government signed a deal with Polsanslim Ltd. for the regular supply of milk from Anand to Mumbai. Except for the farmers, this arrangement was extremely pleasant for all classes concerned. The company determined that it was profitable, as Paulsons Ltd had a healthy profit margin on it. The largest reductions were made to milk contractors. Nobody initiated an increase in the price of milk paid to milk producers. Thus, the farmers of Kheda area have never had it better under the Bombay Milk Scheme. They remained subject to the whims of milk contractors. They were required to sell milk to contractors at their predetermined price.

Farmers' anger grew, and they marched under the banner of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who had called for the establishment of a farmer-run co-operative organisation in early 1942. Sardar Patel admonished farmers for not marketing their dairy animals through one of their own co-operative societies. The co-op should have its own disinfection facility. Farmers, he argued, should seek authorization to establish such a cooperative association. They should not refuse to sell their milk quantity to a middleman if their desire is denied. Sardar Patel said that farmers were concerned of incurring losses as a result of the strike, as they would be unable to sell their milk for an extended period. He is willing to lead them if they are willing to accept the consequences, and the farmers' delegation immediately accepted his offer.

On 15th December 1946, Kheda District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Limited, Anand was created. The purpose was to offer enough marketing facilities for the district's milk producers. On June 19, the union began pasteurising milk for the Bombay Milk Scheme, which utilised around 250 litres of milk collected daily by farmers 48of only two village co-operative organisations.

The fixed market proved to be a significant incentive for the Kheda district's milk farmers. By the end of 1946, farmers had formed village milk cooperatives, and milk collection at the district union had risen to 250 litres per day. There were numerous obstacles in the early phases, as well as quick expansion. However, in the face of these obstacles, the way was paved for the future development of this movement. However, as the philosophy of this cooperative movement extended throughout the Kheda district, it was discovered that any surplus milk gathered by the district union during the winter could not be absorbed under the Mumbai Milk Scheme. Thus, until 1953, the society's farmer members did not have a clearly marketable surplus of surplus milk supply. As a result, they were forced to sell surplus milk at a cheaper price to middlemen, ensuring that their exploitation persisted.

At the time, the only solution was to process the excess milk and transform it into long-lasting dairy products such as butter and milk powder. The Government of Mumbai and the Government of India both accepted this topic wholeheartedly. The Government of India aided the Kheda Milk Producers Association in getting financial assistance from UNICEF and the Government of New Zealand under the Colombo Scheme, while also offering technical assistance (FAO). The second map paper for the development of a facility for the processing of milk powder and butter worth Rs. 50 lakhs has been produced, and the foundation stone for this plant was placed on 13th November, 19th by former President Dr. Rajendra Prasad completed it, and on 31 October 1955, the then-Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru declared the plant open for milk processing. This newly established dairy earned the trust of the Kheda district's milk producers in the cooperative movement. As a result, the Kheda District Milk Producers Association was encouraged to establish other milk societies and process an increasing amount of milk. This issue became a heated topic in the dairy technology sector as well, as the dairy industry began processing buffalo milk products on a large scale for the first time in the globe. The Kheda District Milk Producers Association began marketing its milk products under the brand name Amul in the market. Amul is derived mostly from the Sanskrit term Amulya. This means that in just a few short years, Amul made history by commercially producing cheese and baby food (baby food) from buffalo milk.

The development of India's dairy sector took a significant turn in 1964, when former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri visited Anand on 31 October 1964 to launch Amul's cow feed processing factory and then spent an entire night in the hamlet with Kheda district farmers. Have personally witnessed the cooperative movement's prosperity. He immediately brought the matter to the attention of Dr. Varghese, the then-General Manager of Amul Dairy. Dr. Varghese met with Kurien and stated that if the Amul model were to be replicated in other states of the country, it would be extremely beneficial for the economic and social development of the country's farmers. In 1965, the National Dairy Development Board was established in Anand to carry out his dream. The National Dairy Development Board proposed a plan for the development of India's dairy industry between 1967 and 1970, which became known as Operation Flood and the White Revolution. Operation Flood is regarded as a crowning success of India's dairy business, since it is by far the largest development initiative for the dairy industry in the world. This revolution establishes Amul as a global role model, frequently referred to in the history of India's white revolution as the Anand Pattern. As a result of the extension of the Anand pattern to other states in India, India has grown to become the world's greatest producer of milk.


100 years of Dr.Kurien "THE MILKMAN OF INDIA"
100 years of Dr.Kurien "THE MILKMAN OF INDIA" - Ref. www.amul.com

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