GCMMF registers a record 29 % growth as turnover crosses Rs.3700 cr

Vadodara, Jun 10 (UNI) Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which was recently in the news for the unceremoneous exit of its founder chairman Dr Verghese Kurien, has registered a whopping growth of 29 per cent as its turnover crossed Rs 3700 crores during 2005-06.

GCMMF, the largest dairy co-operative and food products marketing organisation in India, has posted a record turnover of Rs.3773.55 crores during the year compared to the previous year's turnover of Rs.2922.53 crore.

This was disclosed by GCMMF's new chairman Parthi Bhatol while addressing the 32nd annual general body meeting of the federation held at Anand today. Mr Bhatol was recently elected chairman of the Rs 3700 federation after 84-year-old Dr Kurien, the father of the White Revolution in India, facing a rebellion in the Board, resigned from the post on March 20 after being in the helm since the Federation's inception in 1973.

Expressing satisfaction over the GCMMF business performance, Mr Bhatol said that the milk procurement of the federation which had a membership of 25 lakh farmers across the state of Gujarat, had achieved an average milk procurement of 6.4 million kgs per day during the year.

The federation, the sole marketing body of Amul brand, had decided to continue with its business expansion plans to achieve 20 per cent growth rate in the current fiscal and further its sales turnover to Rs 4500 crores, the new chairman said. The federation exported Rs 134.23 crores worth of dairy products during the year--the highest ever by any dairy business in India, he claimed.

Acknowledging the contribution of Dr Kurien to the development of co-operative dairy sector and rise of Amul model and GCMMF as the irrefutable leader in this sector, Mr Bhatol said ''Dr Kurien's illustrious career was dedicated to the socio-economic upliftment of millions of marginalised dairy farmers of the country.'' Referring to the WTO, Mr Bhatol urged the union government to safeguard the interests of the farmers and the developmental needs of the country during the negotiations on reductions in agricultural subsidies and tariffs. ''Developed nations had so far been able to enjoy an unfair advantage--being able to dump products in developing markets at will,'' he added.

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