Participating in the golden jubilee ceremony of the Mangaljeet Rai-led National Cooperative Dairy Federation of India, Union Minister Amit Shah exhorted it to help boost milk production across states.

Shah reeled off figures of viable co-ops in different states including Gujarat and UP and felt that a push is needed in the states of UP, Bihar, and Jharkhand. National Cooperative Dairy Federation of India (NCDFI) should study the dairy scenario of each state and identify hurdles in uninterrupted milk production, Shah underlined.

Several co-operators and officials have assembled at the Anand headquarters of NCDFI on the occasion. Prominent among them were Satish Marathe, RBI Board member, NDDB Chief Meenesh Shah. Shah’s junior BL Verma was also present.

It bears recall that NCDFI is being led by Mangaljeet Rai, who fought a heroic fight in the last NCUI election and secured a seat at its Governing Council. A member of Sahakar Bharati, Rai has been actively promoting the dairy co-op revolution in the country.

NCDFI is the apex organization for the cooperative dairy sector. Its members include federal dairy cooperatives of states and union territories.

The main objective of NCDFI is to promote dairy, oilseeds, vegetable / edible oil and vanaspati industries, and other commodities on cooperative lines. The NCDFI has 19 Regular Members, 13 Associate Members, and National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) as its Institutional Members.

Speaking on the occasion Shah touched upon several issues related to co-ops in general and dairy co-ops in particular. Shah said the government has banned milk import as of now but once the market is thrown open and global competition will come knocking home, the dairy sector of India has no choice but to improve itself.

Shah also shared his idea about PACS and said as 19 years old he fought the first election of his life at a PACS. Digitalization of PACS is the government’s main focus as of now, he stated.

Shah had a hectic schedule in Gujarat on Sunday as he attended and inaugurated several cooperative functions including the newly constructed head office of Gujarat-based marketing cooperative Gujcomasol. Shah also inaugurated the Adarsh Sahkari Gram Program.

Apart from cabinet rank ministers of the Gujarat government, well-known co-operators of the state including Gujarat State Cooperative Union Chairman G H Amin, Banas Dairy Chairman Shankarbhai Chaudhary, State Cooperative Agriculture, and Rural Development Bank Chairman Dollarbhai Kotecha, and others attended these co-op events.

The newly constructed head office of Gujcomasol is spread in a big area that will become the hub point for the farmers. Gujcomasol is headed by Dileep Sanghani who is the Chairman of IFFCO and NCUI.