Ahmedabad - The golden jubilee of the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), also known as Amul Federation, was celebrated at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in attendance. The event saw participation from more than one lakh farmers, milk producers, cooperative leaders, and cattle herders from across the state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi e-inaugurated five plants of various dairies under GCMMF during the ceremony. These include the new automatic UHT milk plant of Amul Dairy-Anand, cheese plant, and manufacturing plant of Sabarkantha District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Limited, automatic ice cream plant of Kutch District Cooperative Milk Producers Union, and dairy processing plant located in New Mumbai of Bharuch District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Limited. Additionally, the Prime Minister inaugurated the Rajkot Dairy Development Project of Rajkot District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Limited. A commemorative coin of GCMMF was also released by the Prime Minister. A cultural presentation featuring around 500 artists performing Garba was held, showcasing Amul's iconic song 'Manthan'.
Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel emphasized the significance of the cooperative movement and its role in achieving prosperity. He highlighted the cooperative model of Gujarat, especially in the dairy sector, which has grown from small beginnings in 15 villages in 1946 to a massive cooperative family of 36 lakh milk producers under the GCMMF.
GCMMF President Shamalbhai Patel, in his welcome address, expressed pride in celebrating the Golden Jubilee Mahotsav in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, recognizing him as a pioneer of cooperative activities.
GCMMF, known as Amul Federation, is the largest farmer-owned dairy cooperative in the world. Established on July 9, 1973, under the leadership of Dr. Verghese Kurien, it markets dairy products under the 'Amul' brand. More than 36 lakh farmers from 18,600 villages and 18 milk unions of Gujarat are part of the Amul Federation, which purchases over 3 crore liters of milk daily. Amul markets more than 50 dairy products through a vast network across India and exports to over 50 countries.
The Golden Jubilee celebrations at Narendra Modi Stadium were also attended by Governor Acharya Devvrat, Union Animal Husbandry Minister Parshottam Rupala, Assembly Speaker Shankarbhai Choudhary, State Minister of State for Cooperative Jagdish Vishwakarma, Assembly Deputy Speaker Jethabhai Ahir, along with officials and leaders from various cooperative institutions.
