Anand: Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd., (GCMMF) which markets the popular Amul brand of milk and dairy products has registered a turnover of Rs. 38,542 Crores for the financial year 2019-20 which ended on 31st March 2020. The sales turnover achieved by GCMMF is 17% higher than the previous financial year. In fact, the group turnover of GCMMF and its constituent member unions, representing consolidated turnover of all products sold under Amul brand is exceeding Rs. 52,000 crores or USD 7.0 Billion. GCMMF aims to achieve a group business turnover of Rs. 1 lakh crore and by 2024-25.

Amul was ranked 18th largest dairy organization of the world in the year 2011 and rising up to its current position as 9th largest dairy organization and targeting to enter top 3 dairy organization.

Amul Federation’s sales turnover has increased almost 5 times, from Rs. 8,005 crore in 2009-10 to Rs. 38,542 crore in 2019-20. Results of the apex body of dairy cooperatives in Gujarat were declared on 18th July 2020, in the 46th Annual General Meeting of GCMMF.

Ramsinhbhai P Parmar, Chairman, GCMMF informed that ‘during the last ten years, our milk procurement has witnessed a phenomenal increase of 138% from 90.93 Lakhs Liters Per Day (LLPD) in the year 2009-10 to 215.96 LLPD in the year 2019-20. This enormous growth was a result of the high milk procurement price paid to our farmer-members which has increased by 127% from Rs. 337 per Kg fat in the year 2009-10 to Rs. 765 per Kg fat in the year 2019-20.

He further added that during this global pandemic, Amul cooperatives have converted the crisis into an opportunity . In the lockdown period, milk unions of Gujarat procured an additional 35 lakh litres of milk per day, which means, we have given around Rs. 800 crore extra to the rural milk producers. During the lockdown, when many industries were completely shut and generated no business, our milk producer members, village dairy co-operative societies, milk union and GCMMF team remained steadfast in our operations even in this tumultuous times.

Jethabhai Bharwad, Vice Chairman, GCMMF has informed that for the last 21 years, India continues to be the largest producer of milk in the world and is likely to retain its prime position with an annual growth rate of 5.5% during the last three to four years as against global milk production, which is growing at 2.0%. India contributes almost 50% of the global growth in milk production. The monetary value of milk produced in India is around Rs. 8 lakh crores which is more than which is more than the total value of all pulses and grain put together.As a nation, we are now completely “Átma-nirbhar” or self-sufficient in the dairy sector, since our dairy farmers produce enough milk to fulfill 100% of the country’s demand for milk and dairy products.

Dr. R S Sodhi, Managing Director, GCMMF, emphasized that the Prime Minister & Union Finance Minister has made extremely important announcement of Rs. 15,000 crore dairy infrastructure fund for the establishment of supply chain and dairy plants for enhancing the dairy and milk processing capacity. With this fund, Indian Dairy industry we can build around 4 to 5 crore litres of extra capacity. Extra capacity in the organised dairy sector automatically means more jobs, livelihood for more people, especially in rural India. These extra five crore litres of milk collected and processed by the organised dairy industry will provide livelihood to approximately 30 lakh people in rural India. This is really the need of the hour, when hundreds of thousands of people have migrated back to their villages from urban centres.

After Annual General Meeting , On behalf of 36 lakhs milk producer members of Gujarat, Ramsinh Parmar and Jethabhai Bharwad has express their heartfelt gratitude to the Government of India, for taking a firm stand during Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations and taking a decision which will benefit 10 crore dairy farmers of our country. The dairy industry of the country will always remain grateful to the Government for protecting its interest and not surrendering to the demand of dairy surplus countries like New Zealand and Australia.