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Amrita Patel, chairperson, of Anand-headquartered National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) which markets milk and milk products under the Mother Dairy brand, was conferred with the Agriculture Leadership Award 2013 for Lifetime Achievement.
'Agriculture Leadership Awards, instituted by Agriculture Today, a national agriculture magazine recognises the leadership roles played by individuals and institutions which are positively impacting the lives of farmers and rural masses,' said a statement here.
While accepting the award, Amrita Patel said that "The credit for the impressive growth in dairying must indeed go to the women in our rural areas, whose labours have resulted in our country emerge as the largest milk producing nation in the world. The cooperative institution is the only institution on the basis of which dairying as an economic activity can ensure that small producers are not marginalised."
Earlier this month, Patel had decided to step down as the chairperson of the NDDB and she had conveyed her decision to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and agriculture minister Sharad Pawar after meeting them in Delhi. After serving three five-year terms, her present term ends in November 2013.
Both Singh and Pawar have requested her to reconsider her decision, a press release had stated.
However, Patel has requested that the process of selecting her successor be initiated.
