The Churning Begins
The cooperative movement in Kaira had an early beginning. A resolution of the Bombay Presidency Government in 1904 had directed that work should begin on organizing cooperatives in six districts, including Kaira. A cooperative Societies Act from the same government in 1912 was more effective. The Congress ministry, which took office in 1937, showed greater interest in the cooperative movement, recognizing it as an instrument of rural reconstruction. A report was commissioned by Vaikunthlal Mehta, (then) finance minister, and M D Bhansali of the ICS (Indian Civil Service), who was registrar of Cooperative Societies. After World War II, the movement progressed greatly in Bombay presidency, despite the short tenure of the Congress ministry.
Milk production was unsatisfactory particularly because of two deficiencies. One, in order to produce milk of better quality and larger quantities, milch cattle should have been upgraded (as European dairy cattle have been), but that was a costly process that was beyond the means of the average milk producer. (As long as short supply kept the selling price of milk high, traders could not be expected to bother). Two, to make the most of whatever milk was available, it should have be distributed efficiently and economically, which was impossible with primitive chilling facilities and lack of transport routes.
Image: Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Morarji Desai and others at the inauguration of Amul Dairy.
Also read: A double-barrelled firm, now only in name
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