Princess of Thailand wants to emulate Amul Dairy in her country

Anand, Mar 7 (UNI) Princess of Royal Kingdom of Thailand Maha Chakri Sirindhorn visited the Amul Diary here today and expressed her desire to emulate the co-operative milk production system in her own country.

The princess, a Magsaysay award winner, led a high-level 17-member delegation while visiting the Amul plant and was accompanied by Rahul Kumar, Managing Director, Kaira Dist and Co-operative Milk Producers Union and Amul Dairy Chairman Ramsinhbhai P Parmar.

She visited the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) and Navli Milk Co-op Society, here.

The Ambassador of Thailand to India Chirasak Thanesnant, Vijaya Latha Reddy, Ambassador of India to Thailand, Jesada Chavamphark, consul-general of Thailand in Mumbai, Capt Duesdee Sangkhapreecha, Defence, Naval Attache and MEA official Farooq Khan and protocol liasion officer James Marri and other dignitaries also accompanied the Princess.

She recalled the strong ties that exist between Thailand and India during her wide-ranging talks with Parthibhai Bhatol, chairman and B M Vyas, Managing Director, GCMMF. They discussed ways of greater cooperation between the two countries in the dairy sector.

The presentation on GCMMF showcasing it as India's largest food products marketing organisation, owned by 2.5 million farmers of Gujarat left her impressed. ''My visit to Amul Dairy is an unforgettable one,'' the princess said.

At Navli Village Dairy Co-operative Society she was warmly greeted by the milk producers.

The Princess won the Magsaysay Award for Public Service in 1991, loves Thai literature and studies the literature of other countries.

She also enjoys playing classical Thai instruments and practising Thai classical dancing. She sometimes paints. She is also keen on sports - jogging, swimming, biking and trekking, which gives her an opportunity to learn about plants, trees and geographical features of the areas.

One of her favourite past times is writing articles, poetry and short stories. Proceeds from her written accounts of her overseas travels are the main source of income of the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Foundation which was set up in 1979 to support needy students in schools, vocational colleges and universities. In 1997 the number of students receiving grants from the Foundation is approximately 1,500.

UNI