Amul to expand in Punjab.

Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), owner of Amul, plans to expand its presence in Punjab from 50 collection centres to 1,000, at an investment of Rs. 150 crore.

As cooperatives pay at least a rupee a litre over private buyers, it is good news for milk producers in the state, the country’s fourth largest producer.

'Amul has branches in many states (apart from Gujarat) like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Haryana, but Punjab is going to be crucial, due to the scale of commercial dairy farming and the highest yield per cattle,' said R S Sodhi, managing director of GCMMF. 'The huge milk surplus here can help us grow faster than the current 20 per cent (annual) rate.'

Nestle is the largest milk processor among private entities in the state, procuring 800,000-900,000 litres a day for its units at Moga (Punjab) and Baddi (Himachal Pradesh).


BS