Amul - Pride of India, Personifies Spirit of Selfless Dedication and Farsighted Leadership, Says President

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated a state-of-the-art cattle feed manufacturing plant of AMUL today (November 30, 2015) at Kheda, Gujarat.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said AMUL is truly the pride of India. It personifies the spirit of selfless dedication and far-sighted leadership.

The President said the onus is on the current generation of farmer-leaders, professionals and other stakeholders to expand the AMUL movement in a way that benefits farmers across the board. He urged all to ensure that this world-class institution continues to progress with the same passion and commitment and with the same values of integrity, efficiency and honesty which the founding fathers had instilled in AMUL.

The President said the journey of AMUL since 1946 from a ‘drop’ to a ‘flood’ of milk was challenging. It was made possible because of AMUL’s ability to be sensitive and proactive to the needs of farmers and dynamic to the changing circumstances. The institutional structure called ‘AMUL Model’ or ‘Anand Pattern’ that emerged from the dairy cooperative movement has created a billion rupee worth brand while embracing the poorest of poor farmers. Through logistics innovation, AMUL has ensured easy availability of high-quality, packaged milk and dairy products across the country.

The President said AMUL is today the largest liquid milk brand in Asia and the largest food brand in India. It is also India’s largest exporter of dairy products. The President acknowledged the tremendous contribution of the 3.6 million farmers of AMUL family and saluted the 150 million Indian milk producers for their efforts towards nation-building. The President said their dedication, ingenuity, sacrifice and hard work have ensured food security for our country in the critical area of milk and dairy products.

The President said in the last one year, the sharp decline in global dairy commodity prices has reduced milk prices for dairy farmers by 20 to 50 percent worldwide. In pleasant contrast, farmers associated with AMUL Dairy have received higher prices for the milk they have poured into their cooperative. The spirit of cooperation espoused by the pioneering farmers of AMUL has triggered a socio-economic revolution in rural India transforming an entire nation. The winning combination of the AMUL experiment has been the convergence of farmers’ wisdom, democratic set-up, professional management and adoption of right technology. It is a model worth emulating and following the same could help address problems in other areas faced by our farming community.

This release issued 1532 hrs.