Anand, July 6 (IANS) Union Minister of Cooperation and Home Affairs Amit Shah lauded the launch of Gujarat’s first cooperative initiative in salt production, calling it a long-awaited milestone in the cooperative sector.

Speaking at an event to mark four years of the Ministry of Cooperation, Minister Shah also inaugurated a series of new projects by dairy giant Amul. “Salt was the only segment left untouched by the cooperative movement. Today, that gap has been filled,” he said, acknowledging Humbalbhai — the force behind the Kutch District Cooperative Salt Federation — and inviting applause for the new initiative.

He noted that the move would ensure fair profits for Gujarat’s traditional salt workers, the Agariyas, through a structured and community-led model. The minister also inaugurated the expanded facilities of Amul’s Mogar chocolate plant and Khatraj cheese plant and unveiled the new Sardar Patel Cooperative Dairy Federation, another step in scaling Amul’s national footprint.

Highlighting Amul’s growing success, Shah said, “Today, 36 lakh women in Gujarat and 20 lakh more across India power Amul’s operations. Thanks to their effort, Amul’s current turnover stands at Rs 80,000 crore. Next year, we will cross Rs 1 lakh crore — and the profit will go straight into the accounts of 56 lakh women.” He emphasised that the cooperative model is not about enriching individuals but uplifting entire communities — with Amul standing as a model of inclusive economic success.

Gujarat boasts one of India’s largest and most diverse cooperative sectors, anchored by over 83,000 – 87,200 cooperative societies spanning agriculture, dairy, sugar, housing, credit, and marketing, with 1.71 – 1.79 crore members involved. Central to this landscape is the Anand Pattern dairy model — home to giants like Amul, Banas Dairy, and Dudhsagar Dairy — which collectively serve 3.6 million milk producers, process over 24 lakh litres/day, and turn out annual revenues exceeding Rs 90,000 crore. Women are increasingly integral: between 2020 and 2025, the number of women-led dairy co-ops rose 21 per cent (from 3,764 to 4,562), with women constituting 25 per cent of milk union boards and 32 per cent of producer-members — boosting milk procurement by women-led bodies by 39 per cent to 57 lakh L/day, generating over Rs 9,000 crore annually.

Financial modernisation is underway — the “Cooperation among Cooperatives” initiative has expanded to 33 districts, opening over four lakh new bank accounts and adding more than Rs 966 crore in deposits, reinforcing liquidity and credit access.

–IANS

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