Dairy Cooperatives

• The erstwhile two Milk Federations liquidated
• Officers of the Department of Cooperatives/Animal Husbandry trained at IRMA /GCMMF on Anand Model dairy cooperatives
• Team of experts from GCMMF make visits to Jammu/Kashmir for first hand information on state of milk production and the prevailing market supply demand and opportunities thereof
• Massive awareness programmes launched at village, Block and district level
• 218 dairy cooperatives registered on Anand Model.
• A new Cooperative Organization under the name and style Jammu and Kashmir Milk Producers Cooperative Ltd. Registered. The promoter dairy Cooperatives requested the Govt. through RCS to nominate an expert Board for running the Jammu and Kashmir Milk Producers Cooperative.
• The Govt. constitutes the Board with the majority members and the Chairman from GCMMF with one representative of the State Govt.
• The Liquidators on the instructions of the Govt. hand over the Milk Plants to the nominated Board of the Jammu and Kashmir Milk Producers Cooperative.
• The employees of the erstwhile Milk Federations absorbed in the Govt. service.
  The GCMMF provides technical and financial package to the Jammu and Kashmir Milk Producers Cooperative.
• The launching ceremonies of the Jammu and Kashmir Milk Producers Cooperative were held at 7th and 9th December, 2004, respectively at Srinagar and Jammu. The programme at Srinagar was telecast live by Doordarshan Kendra Srinagar from the lawns of SKICC, Srinagar. Hon’ble Chief Minister, J&K, was the Chief Guest and Dr. Verghese Kurien, Chairman GCMMF and Hon’ble Dy. CM were the guests of honor and the Hon’ble Minister for Agriculture and Cooperatives presided over the ceremony. As on date, the milk processing facility upgraded from 10,000 Ltrs each at Cheshmashahi and Satwari to 50,000 Ltrs. at both the Plants. The Snow Cap brand milk has become a household name in a short span of 12 months.

Jammu Kashmir Milk Producers Co-operative Limited

The State Government under the dynamic leadership of Hon'ble Chief Minister, decided to organize the farmers involved in dairy activity into a Cooperative on the pattern of AMUL Gujrat.

This was to pave way for eliminating the role of the middlemen who otherwise dominated the marketing of raw milk for which he would pay the actual farmer miserly and carry away the bulk of returns. Apart from the farmer, even the ultimate consumer was at his mercy in so far as the quality and rates of the raw milk were concerned. Thus the total dairy sector was operating in a disorganized state where exploitation of the worst order prevailed. It was the resolve of the State Government to correct this state of affairs.

The State of Jammu and Kashmir has enough potential for the dairy sector to achieve self-sufficiency. The need of the hour was to harness this potential appropriately. It was high time that the sector progressed availing of most modern processing technology and obtaining all possible value additions like cheeses, curd, ice cream, etc. so that the consumers receive multiple advantage.

The Hon'ble Chief Minister, in pursuit of these objectives, visited Anand Gujrat and met Dr. V. Kurien, an internationally renowned Cooperator, to seek his support and guidance in the matter on 12th September 2003.

Dr. Kurien responded enthusiastically and promised financial, technical, marketing and other support to the State Government.

The visit of Hon'ble Chief Minister was followed by several visits of the officials of AMUL who conducted a detailed survey of dairy potential in the State and prepared a detailed Project Report that confirmed high prospects of dairy sector in the State.

To have the programme implemented without any delay, it was though appropriate to use the available infrastructure in the State which had for long remained idle and out of use. The Milk Plants at Cheshma Shahi and Satwari were decided to be remodeled, using modern technology with the support and assistance of AMUL.

The Department of Cooperatives was asked to organize farmers involved in the dairy activity into Cooperatives at village levels all over the State, using its manpower and other resources.

The Department took-up this challenge and conducted seminars and awareness programmes all over the State and succeeded in organizing 181 village level Dairy Cooperatives, involving 5538 farmers in a short span of time. Of these, 80 Cooperatives are from the Valley which involve 3386 farmers. This way the Department of Cooperatives succeeded in ensuring adequate participation of dairy farmers in the new venture besides the back-up supplies of raw milk for the two plants to run without interruptions. The number of such dairy cooperatives has now reached 198.

A new Cooperative by the name of J&K Milk Producers Cooperative Ltd. was registered under No. 763/252. Dairy on 1207 -2004 with an authorized Equity Capital of Rs. 10 Cr. divided into 1,00,000 shares of Rs. 1000/- each. The registration was accorded by the Registrar Cooperatives under the J&K Self-Reliant Cooperatives Act of 1999 with the entire State as its area of operation.

For professionally managing the new Cooperative, the State Government, at the request of the new Cooperative, appointed a Board of Management of expert/professional members to run the affairs of the new Cooperative vide Order No. 96-ASH of 2004 dated 21-07-2004. The composition of this board is:-

1. MD GCMMF - Chairman
2. GM Finance, GCMMF - Member
3. GM Marketing, GCMMF - Member
4. Secretary to Govt. Animal Sheep Husbandry Deptt. - Member
5. MD J&K Milk Producers Cooperative Limited - Member Secretary

Both the remodelled Plants at Cheshma Shahi and Satwari were launched on 7th and 9th December 2004. Presently 50,000 liters of milk per day is handled cumulatively by these plants.

For further details contact:

J&K Milk Producers Cooperative Limited
Phone Nos. - Srinagar: 0194-2474071 & Jammu: 0191-2450716