AGENCIES
ANAND (Gujarat): Union minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday that 6.5 crore rural families involved in milk production are outside the ambit of the cooperative sector and face exploitation as they are not getting a fair price.
Shah said that only 1.5 crore out of 8 crore rural families involved in dairy farming are part of the cooperative sector and asked the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to ensure that they all get the full value of their produce.
The Union Cooperation Minister addressed a function in Anand, Gujarat, to mark the Diamond Jubilee Year of NDDB and the birth anniversary of Tribhuvandas Patel, the founder of the AMUL cooperative.
“Today 8 crore rural families produce milk daily, however, only 1.5 crore have joined the cooperative sector. This means the remaining 6.5 crore are still being exploited, they are not getting a fair price. Many times, they have to throw away milk,” Shah said.
Our job is to ensure that all 8 crore farmers get the full value of their hard work through the cooperative sector, and NDDB should move forward in this direction, Shah said.
Shah paid tribute to Tribhuvandas Patel, the founder of Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers Union Limited, popularly known as Amul Dairy who was instrumental in setting up NDDB.
“Patel didn’t care about himself while working with a unique idea to empower poor farmers, especially women associated with dairy farming. The real reason why women farmers are achieving so much today is due to the cooperative revolution,” he said.
The Gandhinagar MP recalled that Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri had visited Amul in 1964 and decided that farmers across the country benefit from the idea, concept and the successful experiment, leading to the foundation of NDDB in Anand.
Shah noted that the products of Amul and NDDB are not adulterated because these organisations are owned by farmers. “Over the 60 years, NDDB has not only empowered farmers, especially women agriculturists, and cooperatives across the country but also organised them and made them aware of their rights,” Shah said.
The trust generated by various cooperative brands such as Amul has empowered women and also laid the foundation for empowering citizens by providing nutrition to children, the Union Cooperative Minister said.
