Vipul Chuadhary had hardly settled down after winning the coveted post of GCMMF’s Chairman when the news of the demise of Verghese Kuiren shook the nation in general and Amul in particular.

Chaudhary, meanwhile, had plunged headlong into steering Amul towards still greater heights. Indian Cooperative caught up with him and requested him to unveil his future plans.

excerpts:

Question: How did you feel about the departure of Amul’s father-figure Dr Verghese Kurien?

Vipul Chaudhary: Dr Kurien was our guide and friend and it is difficult to come to terms with his passing away.
I C: But he was not active in recent years?

Vipul: He was our Honorable Director till his death. We have become vulnerable in his absence as we had always grown under his shelter.

Question: What next? We hear you are eager to script yet another success story for Amul.

Vipul: We intend coming at the national level where we can act as a cooperative federation for whole of the country.

Question: But GCMMF is not even a multi-state cooperative society?

Vipul: That is an operational issue which can be solved. What is important is the idea of moving to the national level. With clarity of objective, we propose to have brain-storming sessions on the issue. We intend upgrading GCMMF as an umbrella cooperative in the dairy industry.

Question: How do you propose to go about this?

Vipul: We intend consulting with other Cooperative Federations. We can be a big support for the dairy farmers for the whole of India. GCMMF can market their surplus and the arrangement could be mutually beneficial.

Question: And the talk of DMS take-over?

Vipul: No no, its not a take-over, we have merely offered to operate it professionally. I have met the Honourable Agriculture Minister and now the ball is in the agriculture ministry’s court. I firmly believe, business should be done by businessmen not by the government.

Question: There is news about GCMMF venturing into organic food segment.

Vipul: No, not in the immediate future.

The Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) is in trouble. It is in a situation where people who matter in the organisation indulge in recrimination and harsh words against one another. There is a general apprehension that the country’s great milk organisation might not survive its present crisis.

Apart from its inability to get fresh markets for its surplus milk and skimmed milk powder, the organisation is caught up in a power struggle between its two most important individuals, no holds barred. The present director Mr. Premnath and former director Mr. Venkatramu are going for the jugular against each other. The fight is about who would be at the top in the organisation.

The federation had posted an impressive annual turnover last financial year.

Sources say production glut has been one of the greatest challenges facing the organisation. However, the current unpleasant power struggle raging within the milk federation has caused confusion among the officials and this is bound to compound its woes, sources noted.

The Delhi Milk Scheme begun way back in 1959 as a part of the union agriculture ministry has been incurring losses over the last years. The scheme is on the block now and the Gujarat Milk Marketing Federation-the parent company of the famous Amul has shown interest in buying it.

GCMMF’s move is prompted by certain concrete calculations: using the DMS infrastructure and its great market potential. According to Gcmmf chairman Vipul Chaudhary, DMS has more than 350 outlets in the national capital and has a production capacity of half a million litres of milk a day.

GCMMF presently boasts an annual turnover of nearly Rs.12 thousand crore but it is active exploring new areas outside Gujarat for its expansion. It would invest Rs. 3000 crore enhancing both its production and procurement capacity in the next few years, said GCMMF’s new Chairman Vipul Chaudhary.

Talking to Indian Cooperative, Mr Chaudhary said we merely want to operate DMS professionally and we believe that business is better managed by businessmen.

Parthi Bhatol has been elected director of the Banas dairy board for the eight times in a row. He has been elected from Palanpur constituency defeating his rival Haribhai Chaudhary a local BJP heavyweight.

The election had been due already in December 2011 but had got delayed as some milk societies moved the Gujarat High Court for the holding of election in accordance with the circular of the state govt. giving equal representation to all talukas affiliated with the dairy cooperatives.

Sources say the chairman would be elected by 18 members including one each from GCMMF, NDDB, district registrar of cooperative societies and a representative from Banas dairy. The district collector is expected to announce the date for the election of chairman as well soon, sources add.

Nobody has seen Amul girl ever weeping. She is hurly-burly ever eager to take on the world. But she is weeping at the news of her father’s demise- Verghese Kurien.

She has been carrying milk to us from the year 1964 and has seen all weathers. She has seen shortage of milk, its abundance. She felt sad sometimes but never wept.

She is weeping and is barely able to hold her tears. All these years she played around, confident of the fact that the father is resting up in Anand. Its true her father stopped active participation in the affairs of Amul long time back. But a patriarch is a patriarch and his mere presence fills one up with confidence.

She saw him ( Kurien) taking on the mighty vested interests in the beginning. She saw how he bulldozed his way in the deeply-entrenched bureaucracy to create a milky way. She remained with him through thick and thin.

Now she has become alone. Others come to offer solace and tell her of their presence. But in heart of her hearts she knows no one could be like her father Verghese Kuiren. Others could be follower but not the trail- blazer that his father was.

Her parting lines are no less touching. She says “Thank You For Giving us Hausla, Pragati & Anand.

Cooperative Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative (Campco) has entered into an agreement with Madhya Pradesh Cooperative Dairy Federation to sell their chocolates at Sanchi milk vends of the Federation.

Sanchi a well known Budhist tourist destination in MP would soon offer choice chocolates to its visitors

Sources say Campco a multi-state cooperative body of Karnataka and Kerala drawing its strength from tens of thousands of farmers is set to expand its business in new areas of the country.

Producing coco, beans, betel nut and rubber has been the core business of Campco, sources add. Campco, a successful cooperative venture was in news recently when it fought against ban on plastic pouches in Supreme Court. Campco President Padmanabh told Indian Cooperative of a long drawn fight on the issue.

The elections to the various milk unions of Gujarat Cooperative Marketing Milk Unions (GCMMF) are underway. But this time it somewhat different. A new player Parivartan Party floated by Keshu Bhai is giving headach to Narendra Modi.

Modi’s protégé and former Chairman of GCMMF Parthi Bhatol is contesting elections from Banas milk union. Talking to Indian Cooperative Bhatol pooh-poohed the factor of Parivartan Party. He said that already 3 union elections have been won by us where our candidate romped home uncontested.

Talking about Banas dairy election slated for September 9, Bhatol said “My victory is certain, I will 100 per cent”. Banas Milk Union was mired into a host of controversies with corruption charges leveled against Bhato.

“Let the electorate decide, we have made Banas dairy fastest growing unit and our detractors have no idea the kind of confidence I enjoy from our members”, a confident Bhatol told Indian Cooperative.

Traditionally BJP and Congress were major players in this election but Keshu Bhai has decided to test the water before he plunges into assembly election slated for November. So far he has not been able to succeed  and Modi has captured majority of seats. Whether the colour of GCMMF would change or not would be clear by the next fortnight.

Gujarat Parivartan Party (GPP) is a new political formation geared to making politics in Gujarat a triangular affair. The party is a collection of those elements from the BJP who do not approve of the ways in which Narendra Modi governs the state. Keshu Bhai leads it.

The new party has decided to take on Narendra Modi in the polls for the board of directors of Baroda District Cooperative Milk Producers Union.  The party will contest all the 13 seats in the polls to be held later this month.

Baroda milk union is one of the members of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation(GCMMF) which produces Amul. Banas Dairy, another member represented by former Chairman of GCMMF Parthi Bhatol is also going to  polls this month.

Observers see the new party as a spoiler in that the polls so far had been mere an affair between groups supported by the BJP and the Congress.

The new party views the upcoming elections in the dairy organisation as an opportunity to establish its base in the countryside.

The emergence of GPP has caused some unease in the political circles of the state even if the two main parties are trying to make the development seem insignificant.

A senior source at the Baroda milk cooperative union is quoted as saying it would not be a surprise if the new party upended the traditional arrangement.

Karnataka Milk Federation is presently in crisis as its chairman G.S. Reddy, brother of mining Mafioso and former minister G. Janardan Reddy has been arrested on a charge of bribing a judge to get bail for his brother imprisoned for illegal mining activities.

The Karnataka govt has decided to hold soon a meeting of the KMF board so as to keep the organisation running well, Karnataka minister of cooperation B.J. Puttaswamy told.

The minister, however, refused to spell out the agenda for the board meeting and action his govt. would take against the present chairman languishing in judicial custody in Andhra Pradesh.

The  documents  concerning  the  procurement of cattle feed by the KMF at  a very high cost would be  thoroughly examined and suitable action taken against those involved in the scam, the minister  added.

The minister asserted the govt. had the necessary powers to call a meeting of the federation.

Meanwhile, the Karnatak govt has decided to write off Rs 20,000 loan taken by farmers as the farming community is suffering  all kinds of problems due to drought in the state, the minister noted

Minister of State for Agriculture  Charan Das Mahant has told Rajya Sabha that the country has had a great success in milk production and the success could mainly be ascribed to the efforts put in by the milk cooperatives.

According to the minister, the anticipated milk production during the period 2011-12 is 127 million tonnes. The growth rate of milk production has outpaced the demographic growth over the past 10 years, the minister added.

India happens to be the biggest producer and consumer of milk in the world, the minister noted.

The minister said while the current milk procurement in the country was 262.12 lakh kg per day, the marketing of it was 219.87 lakh litre a day.

Sources say, considering the surge in the demographic growth, the country would need 150 million tonnes of milk by the close of the 12th Five Year Plan.