23/09/2020
Story 8
In the 1930s, Polson dominated the Indian dairy market. Everyone at Polson flourished except for the milk farmers. The government had given full monopoly to Polson to collect milk from farmers of Kaira at throwaway prices and sell it to Bombay at high rates.
The agitated farmers decided to visit Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. He suggested them to start their own co-operative societies and create a union. The government now had to procure milk from the union, and if they denied, no farmer would supply milk.
When the government refused, the farmers went on a 15 days strike, which compelled the government to agree. As a result, the Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union Limited was registered on December 14, 1946 under the leadership of Tribhuvandas Patel.
Later, Tribhuvandas hired Dr. Verghese Kurien, who renamed the union to Anand Milk Union Limited ( ) and convinced H M Dalaya to join. Dalaya’s invention of skim milk powder was a turning point for Amul, as the surplus milk in winters had no buyers and in summers there was a shortage of milk.
The success at Anand resulted in unions in other parts of Gujarat and in 1970s these unions led the White Revolution to make India a self-sufficient country in milk and dairy production.
Read more: https://rkmw.in/the-utterly-butterly-delicious-story-of-amul/
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In the 1930s when Polson was ruling the Indian dairy market, the agitated milk farmers of Kaira, Gujarat, decided to form their own union.