Women hold an overwhelming share of governance and leadership roles within these newly structured producer entities. Out of the 25 MPOs created, 18 are entirely women-owned, while women serve as chairpersons in 23 organizations and occupy 217 of the 256 total board director positions. Formed with financial and technical backing from partners such as Tata Trusts, the National Rural Livelihood Mission, State Rural Livelihood Missions, JICA, and the World Bank, the MPO framework combines the farmer-centric focus of traditional cooperatives with the commercial agility of corporate enterprises in underserved regions.

The initiative leverages the vital role women play in national milk production, where India accounts for 25% of global output and women represent nearly 70% of the active dairy workforce. Across NDDB’s broader cooperative network of 1.72 crore members, women constitute 30% to 35% of total membership, with nearly 53,000 dairy cooperative societies managed entirely by women. Over the past decade, the MPO network has transferred over ₹60,000 crore directly to milk producers—including ₹8,000 crore via direct bank transfers in the last fiscal year alone—helping women dairy farmers earn net monthly incomes between ₹13,000 and ₹14,000 while unlocking ₹110 crore in rural credit.

NDDB is actively expanding these empowerment frameworks beyond fluid milk into broader agricultural and artisan enterprises, including handicrafts, food processing, and handloom products, with plans to launch a dedicated women-owned umbrella brand later this year. To promote clean energy and lower domestic expenses, the board has also facilitated the installation of 75,000 household biogas plants, converting cattle waste into cooking fuel and supplementary household revenue.