Home Minister bats for circular economy: In 5 years, cattle rearers’ profits will rise by 20%, says Shah

There are products which fetch a high price and have demand in the global market. If we can make those products as well, our farmers will get more profits. In the coming days, we will make gas, and make sure leather is processed from the skin of animals who die natural deaths.”

He added, “The entire cooperative dairy ecosystem of India will also no longer purchase animal feed from the market but will be made at the cooperative level and that money will come back to our women’s bank accounts. The technology and finance has been arranged for by the Government of India… I give my assurance that in the next five years, that apart from the rise in profits from milk, you will see a 20% rise in profits simply from expanding into the circular economy.”

Shah inaugurated a CNG plant, the milk powder plant, whey protein plant and an automatic paneer plant at Banas Dairy. He was accompanied by the joint high power committee on cooperatives who discussed the coordination of all of Banas dairy’s contribution to the circular economy, and planned the way forward to expand the same to cooperatives across the country.

Those present at the occasion included ministers of State for cooperatives, Murlidhar Mohol, Krishan Pal Gurjar, as well as Gujarat cabinet ministers Rushikesh Patel and Jitu Vaghani, and MoS Pravin Maali and Swarupji Thakor. The host of the event was Shankar Chaudhary, the chairman of Banaskantha Dairy and Speaker of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly.

On the history and achievements of Banaskantha Dairy, which is one of 18 cooperative unions listed under the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) that owns Amul, Shah said, “The journey that began with milk worth Rs 400 has turned into a business with a turnover of Rs 24,000 crore. I tell everyone that the women of Gujarat have turned the fortunes of their villages. All villagers and cooperative leaders, you don’t know what a miracle you are. You have set up a Rs 24,000 crore company that would make even corporates sweat. I have brought with me leaders from both houses of parliament and in January (2026), leaders of dairies across India, 250 chairmen and MDs will come to see the miracle of Banaskantha.”

He added, “During the drought of 1985-87, I came here as a party worker. Loo (hot winds) and heat, even the water inside people’s bodies used to evaporate… Now I have given work to two universities to write the history of the change that came due to water in Banaskantha and Mehsana. This history will be written for everyone to read. The biggest satisfaction is that this work was done by women. This is the biggest example of women empowerment in the world, especially for the NGOs talking about it. Without any protest, the money for their milk reaches their bank accounts every week. That is the system we have put in place.”

Shah also spoke on the contribution of Banaskantha Dairy’s founder, Galba Nanji Patel. He said, “Today Banas dairy is Asia’s largest milk manufacturing dairy and Galba kaka’s contribution is a lion’s share. He had only the farmer’s interest in his heart. The journey that began in 1964 with eight dairies in the two talukas of Vadgam and Palanpur has reached a turnover of Rs 24,000 crore. His idea was that we have less money but we are a lot of people. The seed of this idea of taking small amounts of money from a large number of people to set up this dairy has today turned into a massive tree and is giving inspiration to the cooperative movement across the world.”