Kurien welcomes GCMMF's move to have a common brand name 'Amul'

Vadodara, Sep 6 (UNI) Dr Verghese Kurien, acknowledged as the ''Father of the White Revolution in India'', today welcomed the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF)'s move to do away with all local brand names and adopt a common ''Amul Milk'' brand from October 1.

''Anything that keeps all district dairy unions affiliated to the Fedeation is a good thing,'' Dr Kurien, the founder chairman of GCMMF, told UNI.

Hoping that the decision taken by the Federation at its yesterday's Board meeting held at Anand would benefit the farmers, the 84-year-old doyen of dairy cooperative said Amul was the most famous brand name and with this decision the district dairy unions in Gujarat need not have to sell their milk on different brand names.

In fact, Dr Kurien, who was the chairman of the Rs 3700-crore Federation since its inception in 1973 and stepped down in March this year owing to a rebellion against him in the Board, had always advocated the selling of milk and other dairy products of all its twelve affiliated district dairy unions under one brand name ''Amul''. But the proposal was never accepted due to lack of unanimity among the member unions.

According to Federation sources, with the twelve district unions' chairmen constituting the GCMMF Board agreeing to have a comman brand name and uniform pricing of milk, the Federation's turnover would certainly increase and farmers' interests would be well protected.

Under the new formula, the member unions would not have to spend for advertising their individual products as this would be taken care of by the Federation, the largest dairy cooperative and food products marketing organisation in the country, the sources said adding that the Board members would consider the proposal to have the same common brand name of ''Amul'' for selling their other milk products at a later stage.

Rejecting all speculations about a possible split in the Federation because of differences among the Board members on several issues, the sources said all problems had been sorted out amicably.

Referring to the absence of Ahmedabad dairy union chairman Mohanbhai Bharwad and his Surat counterpart Manubhai Patel in yesterday's GCMMF Board meeting, the Federation said the duo could not attend because of ill-health but had given their consent to the Board's decision on a common brand.

Before October 1, all the twelve district dairy unions were expected to ratify the decision of GCMMF in their respective Boards, the sources said.

UNI SS MAZ AW1722