- Shah inaugurates Bio-CNG & Fertilizer Plant; lays foundation for 150-ton milk powder unit
- Circular economy model to boost farmer incomes by 20% and transform dairy cooperatives nationwide
- Women-led dairy movement drives Banas Dairy’s rise to ₹24,000 crore turnover
- Bio-CNG model to become India’s new cooperative template for high-value dairy growth
NE BUSINESS BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, DEC 6
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah inaugurated Banas Dairy’s newly constructed Bio-CNG and Fertilizer Plant in Vav-Tharad, Gujarat, and laid the foundation stone for a 150-ton milk powder plant, marking a major leap toward White Revolution 2.0. Gujarat Assembly Speaker Shankar Chaudhary, Union Ministers of State Krishan Pal Gurjar and Murlidhar Mohol, and senior officials were present.
Shah hailed Banas Dairy’s extraordinary transformation, crediting the region’s women for building a ₹24,000-crore cooperative powerhouse.
“Wherever I travel, I proudly say that Gujarat’s villages became prosperous because of the mothers and sisters who built Banas Dairy,” he said.
He added that building such a massive enterprise “would make even the biggest corporate houses break into a sweat.”
Shah announced that in January, 250 Chairmen and MDs of dairies from across India will visit Banaskantha to witness this “cooperative miracle.”
Water Security Turned Banaskantha into a Prosperous Belt
Shah recalled the region’s stark past.
“After the drought of 1985–87, farmers here could grow only one crop. Today, they harvest three,” he said.
He credited Narendra Modi’s water initiatives, especially the Sujalam–Sufalam scheme, which brought Narmada and Mahi waters to arid zones, enabling Banaskantha’s agricultural resurgence.
Shah revealed that two universities have been assigned to document the transformation of Banaskantha and Mehsana, calling it “a golden chapter in India’s rural development.”
Women at the Core of a ₹24,000-Crore Success Story
Highlighting the unmatched role of women, Shah said:
“The entire milk collection network—worth ₹24,000 crore—runs on the hard work of the sisters and daughters of Banaskantha. Payments reach their bank accounts transparently every week.”
He described this as “the greatest living example of women’s empowerment anywhere in the world.”
Bio-CNG: India’s New Cooperative Template
Shah declared that the Bio-CNG model pioneered by Banas Dairy will become a national cooperative benchmark.
“Not a single gram of cow or buffalo dung should go to waste. It must generate biogas, electricity, organic manure—and the income must go back to farmers,” he said.
He added that Banas Dairy will showcase its circular-economy successes to MPs from the Parliamentary Consultative Committee.
High-Value Dairy Products: The Next Big Leap
Shah announced that he handed over a list of global high-value dairy products not yet made in India to the Chairman of Amul.
“If we expand beyond curd, paneer and ghee, and start producing high-value global dairy products, farmers will earn many times more,” he said.
He further confirmed that animal feed production will soon shift entirely into cooperatives:
“Feed will no longer be purchased from the open market. Cooperatives will produce it, and profits will flow directly into women’s bank accounts.”
A 20% Income Boost Through Circular Economy
Shah assured farmers that:
“Even with the same milk quantity, our circular economy model will raise farmer incomes by at least 20 per cent within five years.”
He added that the entire ecosystem—technology, financing, and infrastructure—was already set up under the Government of India’s cooperative reforms.
A Fully Integrated National Dairy Vision
Shah said the Government of India has formed three new national-level cooperatives for seeds, organic products and agricultural exports, and three multi-state dairy cooperatives.
These bodies will collectively oversee:
• Cheese, protein and baby-food production
• Dairy whitener and high-value dairy
• Cold storage and processing
• Packaging, animal feed, edible oil and more
“All profits will reach directly into the accounts of livestock farmers,” he said.
Tribute to Ambedkar and Sardar Patel
Marking Ambedkar’s Mahaparinirvan Diwas, Shah said:
“Because of the Constitution given by Babasaheb, Dalits, tribals, the poor and backward classes can live with dignity.”
He also connected the event to the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Patel.
“The concept of cooperation was Patel’s idea. Gujarat embraced it, and it has grown into a giant banyan tree strengthening the entire nation.”
PHOTO CAPTIONS
- Group Photo of Dignitaries
- Amit Shah Unveils Bio-CNG Plant
- Foundation Stone Ceremony
Amit Shah lays the foundation stone for the upcoming 150-ton milk powder plant, strengthening Banas Dairy’s processing capacity.
