Pawar for co-ops with vision of globalisation

The Union minister of agriculture, consumers affairs, food and public distribution, Sharad Pawar, tried to please both the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation's chief Vargheese Kurien and National Dairy Development Board's chairperson Amrita Patel on Sunday.

Delivering the keynote address at Amul's foundation day at Anand, he said: "India needs to marry the strong co-operative fundamental model of Amul nurtured by Kurien with Amrita Patel's National Dairy Development Board's (NDDB's) vision of globalisation to meet the post-WTO challenges in the agriculture and dairy sector," said Pawar.

He said, "Not only other Indian states are following Amul's co-operative pattern of dairying but many other countries have shown interest in this model in their country. With the White Revolution, initiated by Kurien, India is today is self sufficient in the dairy sector."

The cooperative movement will help to grow the small and marginal farmers in the country. In the last several years, farmers in Andra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and other parts of the country committed suicide, poising a big problem for the country.

On the other hand, in Gujarat, in spite of drought, hunger and poverty, the farmers did not committee suicide because of the dairy development in the state, which helped them to sustain their livelihood, he said.

Vargheese Kurien, chairman, GCMMF, seeking apology for not learning Gujarati in his last 54 years of stay at Anand, said, "Today is an important day, first because it is Amul's foundation day and secondly because Indira Gandhi was assassinated on this very day. Sardar Patel laid the foundation of the co-operative movement in the country, which we follow."