Gandhinagar: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah on Saturday laid the foundation stone of the new headquarters of the National Cooperative Dairy Federation of India (NCDFI) Limited in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, and addressed the e-Market Awards 2023 ceremony. The event was attended by Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel, Assembly Speaker Shri Shankar Choudhary, IFFCO Chairman Shri Dilip Sanghani, NDDB Chairman Dr Meenesh Shah and NCDFI Chairman Dr Mangal Rai.
Addressing the gathering, Shri Shah said India’s cooperative dairy sector has achieved “multi-dimensional success,” benefiting not just milk producers but also agriculture, villages, nutrition and the national economy. He underlined that milk trading through cooperatives prevents exploitation of farmers and ensures fair value distribution.
Highlighting India’s global standing, the Minister said the country now ranks first in the world in milk production with a 24% global share. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, milk production has increased by around 51% in the last eight years — the fastest growth worldwide — largely driven by cooperative dairies.
Shri Shah said the new NCDFI headquarters will be built in Anand district, close to the birthplace of the White Revolution, on about 7,000 square metres at a cost of ₹32 crore. The building will be a 100% green facility, operated through solar power.
Explaining the strength of the cooperative model, he said individual milk producers lack storage, processing and market access, but cooperatives enable cold storage, value addition and profit sharing. Cooperatives also support breed improvement, animal health and nutrition, directly linking dairy development with the national fight against malnutrition. He cited examples of dairies providing nutritious milk to children and laddus to pregnant women.
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Tracing the history of India’s dairy movement, Shri Shah recalled how resistance to exploitation in Gujarat in 1946, inspired by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, evolved into the White Revolution and the creation of NDDB. Today, Amul alone processes around 40 million litres of milk daily, involving 36 lakh women producers, with a turnover of ₹72,000 crore in 2021–22.
The Minister also highlighted India’s digital revolution, noting that the country is among the fastest-growing digital transaction economies globally and could reach the top in the next 4–5 years. He praised initiatives linking dairies with banking services, including RuPay cards, ATMs at village dairies and direct milk payments to cooperative bank accounts, citing Banaskantha as a successful model.
Calling on NCDFI to promote 100% digital and e-market operations, Shri Shah urged cooperative leaders to adopt and replicate successful models nationwide. He also asked NCDFI to take steps towards natural and organic farming, seed cooperatives, pulse and oilseed self-reliance, and ethanol production from maize, stressing that cooperatives must play a central role in formalising and strengthening India’s economy.
“If cooperative dairying reaches every village, every household can become self-reliant,” Shri Shah said, reaffirming the government’s commitment to cooperative-led growth.
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