Golden Jubilee of AMUL

In February 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a call to make Amul dairy cooperative the number one dairy company worldwide while addressing a grand 50-year celebration event of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) which markets all Amul milk & dairy products.

Current Ranking of Amul

Amul is presently ranked the 8th biggest dairy company globally with yearly sales nearing Rs 80,000 crore domestically through its popular milk, cheese, ice cream, chocolates and other dairy products which are exported to 57 countries too.
GCMMF has a milk processing capacity exceeding 35 million litres daily. The global dairy corporations list is led by European and New Zealand players benefitting from early consolidation.

The Prime Minister urged all stakeholders to jointly work towards catapulting Amul to become the largest dairy company worldwide. Amul MD confirmed backing the vision completely, projecting over Rs 1 lakh crore revenues by 2025-26.

Journey of Amul

Amul was found on 19 December 1946 as a response to the exploitation of small dairy farmers by traders and agents. GCMMF came into existence in 1973, when six dairy cooperatives joined hands under the leadership of social entrepreneur and dairy engineer Dr Verghese Kurien, fondly remembered as the ‘Milkman of India’. The Kaira Union, which had the brand name Amul with it since 1955, transferred it to GCMMF.
Since then, Amul has achieved immense growth, collecting milk from over 4 million farmers daily across 40 dairies while distributing effectively nationwide through its vast network, uplifting many lives. In 1970, the cooperative spearheaded the ‘Operation Flood’ or the White Revolution of India.

India Now Biggest Milk Producer

In the next decade, the co-operative went on to become the top ice cream brand. After 2010, GCMMF’s took milk production outside of Gujarat, in its biggest milestone.
Currently, the GCMMF has 18 member unions with more than 3.6 million farmers across 18,600 villages in Gujarat.  Over the past 50 years, GCMMF has played a critical role in making India the world’s largest milk producer, accounting for 24 per cent of global milk production.

Major Global Dairy Firms

Major companies shaping the landscape of dairy market include France’s Danone S.A., China’s Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co. Ltd., and New Zealand’s Fonterra Group Cooperative Limited.

While addressing the event, Prime Minister Modi has assured sustained policy support from his government towards fulfilling Amul’s global goals over the long term, emphasizing it as a national priority.

Category: Economy & Banking Current Affairs