Guwahati: In a remarkable achievement, the West Assam Milk Producers’ Co-operative Union Limited (WAMUL), the driving force behind Purabi Dairy in Assam, has been awarded by Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah for its outstanding performance in the National Cooperative Dairy Federation of India (NCDFI) Limited e-Market Awards 2023.
The accolade was received by Meenesh Shah, Chairman of WAMUL’s management committee and SB Bose, Managing Director of WAMUL, during a ceremony held in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar.
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The award ceremony, held in conjunction with the foundation stone laying event for NCDFI Limited’s headquarters, saw the presence of eminent dignitaries, including Chief Minister of Gujarat Bhupendra Patel, Gujarat Legislative Assembly Speaker Shankar Choudhary, Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) Chairman Dilip Sanghani and NCDFI Chairman Mangal Rai.
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Union Home Minister Shah in his address lauded the pivotal role of the cooperative dairy sector in achieving multi-dimensional goals for the nation. Emphasising the importance of cooperative milk trading, he highlighted its comprehensive benefits to society, agriculture, villages, milk producers and the country at large.
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The Union Home Minister urged all cooperatives to transition to 100 per cent bank transfers which incidentally have already been achieved by WAMUL which has been at the forefront in helping provide livelihood to around 30,000 dairy farmers under 700 dairy cooperatives from nine districts of Assam.
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Underlining India’s global leadership in milk production with a 24 per cent share, Home Minister Shah credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership for the remarkable 51 per cent increase in milk production over the past eight years, the highest in the world.
With this feather being added to the organisation’s cap, SB Bose, Managing Director of WAMUL, said, “It is an honour for the dairy farmers of Assam that WAMUL and their own brand Purabi is recognised and facilitated with the prestigious NCDFI e-market Award 2022-23 by Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah for its active participation and superlative performance in the development of dairy cooperative eco-system in the state of Assam.”
Receiving this prestigious award reflects the collective efforts of the entire Purabi Dairy family. It reaffirms our commitment to providing a robust market for our dedicated dairy farmers and delivering quality products to our valued consumers. As we move forward, we remain steadfast in our mission to empower the farming community through innovative initiatives and contribute to the sustainable growth of the cooperative sector,” Bose said.
“It was very heartening to note from the address by Minister Shah that he is well aware and has also been instrumental in the dairy development initiatives in Assam being taken with the help of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB). He appreciated the initiative and efforts taken by NDDB and its Chairman Meenesh Shah to take cooperative dairying to places where it was not yet so well developed,” Bose added.
As the largest dairy cooperative in the region, Purabi Dairy has not only ensured a year-round remunerative market for its dairy farmers but has also offered quality-based and value-added products to consumers. Taking a holistic approach, Purabi Dairy has conducted workshops to train farmers in various allied activities, such as bee-keeping and honey harvesting, augmenting their income.
With such support and encouragement from the Union government and the Assam government and institutions like NDDB and NCDFI, team Purabi has already demonstrated its capability and will live up to the expectations and challenging target set by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, for making cooperative dairying an instrument of change for rural Assam.
Empowering the farming community, especially women farmers, the cooperative has expanded its product range and ventured into new markets, ensuring sustainable growth and prosperity for farmers and consumers alike.