Hyderabad/Toopran: Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy urged farmers and women in Telangana to form cooperative societies and actively participate in the Centre’s White Revolution 2.0, to boost rural incomes, create employment opportunities and strengthen the dairy sector.
Addressing a gathering after the foundation stone was laid for a ₹400-crore Amul dairy processing plant at Toopran in Medak district on Sunday, Mr. Reddy said Telangana had been identified for the formation of 1,525 new cooperative societies under the Centre’s cooperative expansion programme.
He encouraged farmers, particularly women, to take advantage of the initiative. Banks are extending loans of up to ₹20 lakh to women’s groups for livestock rearing and dairy-related activities, which would help increase milk production and improve economic self-reliance.
Mr. Reddy noted that the Centre has set a target of establishing 75,000 new dairy cooperative societies across the country by 2029 as part of White Revolution 2.0. India is already the world’s largest milk producer, contributing nearly one-fourth of global milk output.
The Minister said the new dairy plant, expected to be completed within 18 months, would procure milk from local farmers and produce value-added products such as milk, curd, buttermilk, lassi, paneer, ice cream and ghee, thereby improving returns for dairy farmers.
Mr. Reddy said cooperative societies help farmers overcome challenges related to marketing, storage, processing and branding. By working together, farmers can reduce dependence on middlemen and become a stronger economic force.
Referring to the success of Amul and Sabar Dairy in Gujarat, he said they demonstrate the transformative potential of cooperatives in the dairy sector. Sabar Dairy, which began operations in 1964 with just 19 cooperative societies and a daily milk collection of 5,100 litres, has grown into one of the country’s largest dairy cooperatives.
Today, it processes nearly 50 lakh litres of milk daily, involves around 50,000 milk producers, many of them women, and recorded a turnover of about ₹10,500 crore in 2025-26. The cooperative also provides doorstep veterinary services through a large network of veterinarians, he said.
Amul’s cooperative network supplies nearly 2.5 million metric tonnes of cattle feed annually, while its products are sold through three million retail outlets across India and exported to more than 50 countries. Such success stories, he said, should inspire Telangana’s farmers to strengthen the cooperative movement and expand dairy-based livelihoods. TG Ministers D. Sridhar Babu (Industries & IT), Vivek Venkatswamy (Labour), and Medak MP M. Raghunandan Rao, were also present.
Published – October 04, 2026 06:49 pm IST
