SPCDF aims to connect more than 20 lakh dairy farmers across 20 states to a national cooperative dairy ecosystem

Jayen Mehta, Managing Director of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, has been unanimously elected Chairman of Sardar Patel Co-operative Dairy Federation Limited during the election of office bearers held at AmulFed Dairy in Gandhinagar.

Mehta’s nomination was proposed by Ashok Chaudhary, Chairman of GCMMF, and seconded by Shabesinh Parmar, Chairman of Amul Dairy.

Sangram Chaudhary, representing Banaskantha District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Limited, was elected Vice Chairman of SPCDF during the polls held on May 5. Both office bearers will serve a five-year term.

SPCDF was launched in July 2025 by Amit Shah, India’s Union Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Cooperation, with the objective of expanding and strengthening the cooperative dairy movement across the country beyond Gujarat’s established dairy network.

The federation aims to integrate more than 20 lakh dairy farmers from over 20,000 villages across 20 states into an organised cooperative framework, providing farmers with fair milk pricing, equitable voting rights, access to modern dairy services and the benefits of a democratically governed cooperative structure.

The initiative is expected to play a significant role in deepening India’s dairy cooperative ecosystem by extending the operational model associated with the Amul network into newer geographies and underserved rural regions.

SPCDF’s governing board currently includes one representative each from GCMMF and its 10 member unions, along with representatives from cooperative milk societies in Assam, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.

The federation has been positioned as a national platform to strengthen farmer participation in dairy value chains while improving market access, institutional support and cooperative-led rural development.

Under Mehta’s leadership, SPCDF is expected to focus on expanding cooperative membership, strengthening milk procurement systems, improving farmer remuneration and supporting infrastructure development across emerging dairy regions.