He is one of the pioneers of independent India’s most successful story of the White Revolution. A resident of Gopalpura in Anand district, Gordhanbhai Vaghjibhai Patel has an extraordinary tale to share with his grandchildren.

Narrating his experience of working with the father of White Revolution, Dr Verghese Kurien to BusinessLine , this nonagenarian equates the success of milk cooperative movement with nothing less than a victory over profiteering private milk players.

Modernisation effect

“We were fortunate to have leaders like Tribhuvandas Patel, who founded the Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union in 1946 on the advice of Sardar Patel. This was a fight against private players and to secure our milk and farmers’ right,” says Patel, who along with four others were given the Dairy Excellence Award by the Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh at the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in Anand recently.

The seeds of milk cooperative movement in India were sown in as early as in 1946-47. Decades later, farmers are experiencing a complete makeover of the milk cooperatives.

Income has gone up multiple times with innovations and technology upgradation making milk production and processing attractive as an allied activity to farming.

“Those were the tough days when we used to carry the metal (brass) cans to the collection centres. For the milk sold in morning, money was paid only in the evening and so on. Now, it is all computer-based. Collection centres have better storage and testing facilities and farmers get money instantly,” says 85-year old resident of Ajarpura, Maganbhai Naranbhai Patel, who had accompanied former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on his historic visit to Ajarpura in 1964. It was after his visit, the ‘Amul’ model of cooperatives was made popular across the country.

White-collar lure

The movement has covered 15.1 million milk producers in 1.6 lakh villages under 189 district cooperative milk unions nationally. Today, India’s milk production is 137 million tonnes against 20 million in 1951.

Now the challenge, according them, lies in keeping the youth interested in the movement.

“It is getting difficult to manage cattle single-handedly. Earlier it used to be a joint-family; hence the responsibility got distributed for farms, cattle and milk. Even costs of rearing the animals have gone up,” says Chirag Patel, grandson of Fulabhai Vaghjibhai Patel of Samarkha village.

Chirag, a post graduate in history, is no longer interested in milk business and has shifted to Anand town after selling his 11 cattle and is searching for a job.

“The lure for urban lifestyle and salaried white collar jobs is taking the new generation away from this i profession. Although modernisation has made things easy in the milk sector, some have started looking for an easier life. That is sad,” says Maganbhai, who owns two cows and two buffalo but his grandson is interested in salaried job after completing his MBA.

Deviations

Yet, some examples are encouraging enough. Rahul Rathod, in his early 30s, the grandson of Pujabhai Jenabhai Rathod of Ravalpura has decided to inherit the three-generation-old family milk business.

“Modernisation and money are there in the business. I will follow my grandfather’s footsteps,” says Rahul.

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