At the National Milk Day celebrations held at the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) headquarters in Anand, NDDB Chairman Dr. Meenesh Shah paid homage to Dr. Verghese Kurien, the pioneer of India’s dairy cooperative movement. The event commemorated the birth anniversary of Dr. Kurien, widely known as the architect of the White Revolution.
Dr. Kurien’s Legacy
Dr. Shah underlined Dr. Kurien’s remarkable institution-building legacy, which includes the creation of NDDB and its subsidiaries such as Amul Dairy and the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF). He noted that these organisations have evolved into one of India’s strongest cooperative ecosystems, maintaining sustainability and relevance over several decades.
Highlighting Dr. Kurien’s vision, Dr. Shah said the core objective of the dairy cooperative model has always been the social and economic upliftment of rural communities. By using milk as a tool for empowerment, the Anand Pattern cooperatives helped farmers secure market access, improve livelihoods, and participate in equitable growth. He added that the value-driven framework established in Anand has shaped generations of cooperative professionals across the country.
Dr. Shah reiterated that among various cooperative structures developed in India, the Anand Pattern remains the most successful and enduring model.
White Revolution 2.0: Expanding the Cooperative Footprint
Building on the achievements of the first White Revolution, Dr. Shah announced that White Revolution 2.0 aims to expand dairy cooperative coverage to 75,000 additional villages. The initiative focuses on strengthening cooperatives in underserved regions and improving market access for farmers, especially in areas where dairy development remains limited.
With India’s milk production growing at a compounded annual rate of over 6%, Dr. Shah said the new interventions would provide farmers with greater opportunities to participate in the national dairy economy. He expressed confidence that current milk procurement levels of 6.5 crore litres per day could cross 10 crore litres per day within the next three to four years.
Dr. Shah further said that strengthening the movement founded by Dr. Kurien is key to advancing the cooperative sector and moving towards the vision of a Viksit Bharat, while continuing to improve farmer welfare.
