Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah will on Sunday, 18 May 2025, inaugurate a fully automated milk processing and packaging plant of Madhur Dairy at Dashela village in Gandhinagar district, Gujarat — a ₹128 crore expansion that marks a significant milestone for cooperative dairying in the region. The facility, developed by the Gandhinagar District Cooperative Milk Producers' Union Limited, will more than double the cooperative's processing footprint.

Key Details of the New Plant

The newly constructed plant carries a milk processing capacity of 2.5 lakh litres per day, scalable to 5 lakh litres daily as demand grows. With this addition, Madhur Dairy's combined milk processing and packaging capacity reaches 5 lakh litres per day, making it the largest cooperative milk union in Gandhinagar district.

The plant is fully automated, designed to handle the cooperative's entire milk procurement from farmers in the district without capacity constraints. Officials stated the infrastructure will also expand manufacturing capacity for new dairy products supplied to the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which markets products under the Amul brand.

Senior Leaders to Attend the Inauguration

The inauguration ceremony will be attended by a high-profile delegation including Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, State Legislative Assembly Speaker Shankar Chaudhary, state BJP president Jagdish Vishwakarma, and state Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani. The presence of senior political leadership underlines the significance of the cooperative sector to Gujarat's rural economy.

Madhur Dairy's Journey: From ₹7 Lakh to ₹628 Crore

Established on 6 February 1971 with the support of cooperative workers and just four milk societies, Madhur Dairy began with an average daily milk procurement of 6,433 litres and an annual turnover of approximately ₹7 lakh. Over five decades, continuous expansion and growing consumer trust have transformed it into a cooperative with a current average daily procurement of 2.76 lakh litres during 2025-26 and an annual turnover estimated at nearly ₹628 crore.

This is the cooperative's most significant infrastructure investment in recent years, part of a long-term development strategy aimed at greater economic prosperity for milk producers across Gandhinagar district.

Impact on Farmers and Consumers

According to officials, the expanded capacity is expected to deliver multiple benefits — dairy farmers associated with Madhur Dairy are likely to receive more remunerative prices for their milk, while consumers across the district can expect a steady supply of milk products at reasonable prices. The cooperative, affiliated with GCMMF, has maintained a stated commitment to the welfare of its milk producer members throughout its growth.

With the new plant operational, Madhur Dairy is positioned to serve as a model for cooperative dairy expansion in Gujarat, and the inauguration is expected to accelerate similar infrastructure investments across the state's dairy sector.