West Bengal has unveiled an ambitious cooperative-led development strategy with the announcement of a ₹700 crore integrated dairy processing facility by AMUL in Sankrail, Howrah, marking one of the largest dairy investments in eastern India.
The project, inaugurated in the presence of Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah, aims to accelerate rural development, strengthen dairy infrastructure, and generate significant employment opportunities across the state.
🏭 World’s Largest Yoghurt Manufacturing Facility
The upcoming plant is expected to become the world’s largest manufacturing centre for yoghurt and fermented dairy products.
Key Project Highlights:
🥛 Processing capacity of 3 million litres of milk per day
📦 Production of 1 million litres of packaged milk daily
🍶 Manufacturing capacity of 1,000 metric tonnes of yoghurt per day
🍦 Production of ice cream, long-life milk, ghee, chhana and dairy sweets
👨🌾 Direct benefits for nearly 120,000 dairy farmers
📈 Strengthening West Bengal’s Dairy Ecosystem
AMUL currently operates through:
🐄 880 village dairy cooperative societies
🏢 107 bulk milk chilling centres
👩🌾 More than 125,000 associated farmers, including around 30,000 women members
The cooperative presently procures around 900,000 litres of milk daily, with plans to increase procurement to 2 million litres per day in the coming years.
🌾 Cooperative-Led Rural Transformation
The state government described the initiative as the beginning of a new “White Revolution” in West Bengal, with additional potential to boost the state’s renowned sweet yoghurt and dairy-based food sectors.
Additional announcements include:
✅ Allocation of another 30 acres for future AMUL projects in North and South Bengal
✅ Programmes to improve cattle breeding and increase milk productivity by 25%
✅ Expansion of cooperative infrastructure and rural storage facilities
✅ New initiatives aimed at increasing farmer participation and income generation
🚖 Launch of Bharat Taxi Cooperative Platform
Beyond dairy, the government also announced Bharat Taxi, a cooperative-based ride-hailing platform.
Key features include:
🚕 Drivers becoming cooperative stakeholders rather than platform workers
📱 Integration with West Bengal’s Yatri Sathi app
🛺 Inclusion of bike taxis and auto-rickshaws
💰 Direct profit-sharing opportunities for drivers
The initiative reflects a broader push toward cooperative-led economic models across multiple sectors.
🌍 Significance for India’s Dairy Industry
The AMUL investment highlights several emerging trends within India’s dairy sector:
📈 Rising investment in large-scale dairy infrastructure
🤝 Growing importance of cooperative models in rural development
🥛 Increasing demand for value-added dairy products such as yoghurt and fermented foods
👩🌾 Enhanced farmer participation and income diversification opportunities
🏗️ Strengthening of dairy supply chains in eastern India
Outlook
The ₹700 crore AMUL project represents one of the most significant dairy investments in eastern India and could substantially reshape West Bengal’s dairy ecosystem by boosting milk procurement, farmer incomes, processing capabilities and employment generation.
The project also reinforces the growing role of cooperative-led industrialisation as a model for rural economic development and sustainable agricultural growth.
