Gandhinagar, May 15 (IANS) Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah will inaugurate a newly constructed, fully automated milk processing and packaging plant of Madhur Dairy at Dashela village in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar district on May 17, marking a major expansion in the cooperative dairy sector in the district.

The plant, developed by Gandhinagar District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union Limited at an estimated cost of Rs 128 crore, has a milk processing capacity of 2.5 lakh litres per day, which can be expanded up to 5 lakh litres daily according to future requirements.

Following the inauguration of the facility, Madhur Dairy’s overall milk processing and packaging capacity will increase to 5 lakh litres per day, making it the largest cooperative milk union in Gandhinagar district.

The inauguration programme will also be attended by State Legislative Assembly Speaker Shankar Chaudhary, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, state BJP president Jagdish Vishwakarma and state Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani.

According to officials, the new plant is expected to provide multiple benefits to milk producers associated with Madhur Dairy as well as consumers across the district.

The expanded infrastructure will enable the cooperative to process the entire milk procurement from dairy farmers in the district, while producers are expected to receive remunerative prices for their milk.

Consumers will have greater access to quality milk and a wider range of dairy products under the Madhur and Amul brands.

The expansion will also increase manufacturing capacity for new dairy products for the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which markets products under the Amul brand.

Officials stated that “it has remained committed to the welfare of milk producer members and the development of the cooperative sector”.

The dairy, affiliated with GCMMF, has been working to support the economic growth of dairy farmers in Gandhinagar district while supplying milk products to consumers at reasonable prices.

The cooperative was established on February 6, 1971, with the support of cooperative workers and only four milk societies.

At the time of its formation, average milk procurement stood at 6,433 litres per day. Procurement has steadily increased over the decades and currently averages 2.76 lakh litres per day during 2025-26.

Madhur Dairy’s financial growth has also expanded significantly over the years. The cooperative began operations with an annual turnover of around Rs 7 lakh.

According to estimates, continuous expansion, quality services and growing consumer trust have helped increase its annual turnover to nearly Rs 628 crore.

Officials said Madhur Dairy has undertaken several infrastructure projects and new expansion initiatives in recent years as part of a long-term development strategy.

The cooperative said these efforts are contributing to greater economic prosperity for milk producers across Gandhinagar district.

–IANS

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