The president of India, Pranab Mukherjee, has conducted the inauguration of a cattle-feed plant of Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers' Union Ltd (Amul Dairy). During the inauguration President Pranab Mukherjee stated that the cooperative 'Amul model' could be used to help address issues faced by Indian farmers in other areas of the country.
"Amul cooperative movement has been remarkably successful in triggering a socio-economic revolution in rural India. Amul is truly the pride of India and it is now the responsibility of the current generation of farmer leaders, professionals and stakeholders to expand the Amul movement that benefits farmers across the nation," the President said in his inaugural speech at the newly build feed plant, set up with an investment of Rs. 200 crore.
p"Following Amul model could help address problems in the other agriculture areas which are faced by our farming community," he said while addressing a gathering of farmer men and women from across the region.
"The success of dairy farmers can also be attributed to the fact that entire value chain from milk production to marketing has been owned and controlled by farmers of farmer-owned institutions. This model should be emulated in other agri-sectors as well," he added.
Hailing the success of Amul model, the President further maintained that Amul has become the largest liquid milk brand in Asia and the largest food brand in India. "Amul model has created a billion rupee worth brand while embracing the poorest of poor farmers," he said after the inauguration of Amul's latest cattle-feed making facility.
The plant has the capacity to produce 1000 tonnes of feed per day expandable to 2000 tpd. The greenfield plant is spread over 24 acres with a built-up area of 47,000 square meters.
The fully-automated plant has been designed and constructed by Amul Dairy, in co-ordination with Andritz Feed & Biofuel, Denmark and executed by Andritz Technologies, Chennai.
"The latest plant has been set up with an investment of Rs. 200 crore. The total feed making capacity under Amul is now 8,000 tonnes per day spread across 15 plants. There will be an addition of another 1,500 tpd capacity in the next two years," said R S Sodhi, managing director, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd (GCMMF) after the inaugural function.
The plant has total 16 silos of 40 tonnes capacity for intermediate storage of finished products. The plant had single Pellet Mill to produce 50 tonnes feed per hour with technology like Automatic Greasing and Vibration Monitoring System, for the first time in Indian Feed Plants.
According to Amul, several technologies in the latest cattle feed plant were being introduced for the first time in the country.
GCMMF has 12 cattle feed plants in Gujarat with combined production capacity of more than 7,000 tonnes a day. In order to facilitate the required nutrition for efficient milk production, Amul provides the feed to the milk producers.
Meanwhile, it is also planning to set up three new cattle feed plants in Gujarat, R S Sodhi, managing director of Amul said. "We are planning to setup three new cattle feed plant at Amreli, Bhavnagar and Valsad district in next two years," he added.
