Read About White Revolution

The world’s largest dairy development initiative, Operation Flood, began on January 13, 1970, and was a landmark project of India’s National Dairy. It helped India transition from a milk-deficient country to the world’s greatest milk producer, surpassing the US in 1998.

It was created to assist farmers in developing their businesses by providing them control over the resources they generate. All of this was accomplished through mass production and popular manufacture; the process has since been dubbed the “White Revolution.”

The technological breakthrough that changed India’s organised dairy industry was the production of skim milk powder from buffalo milk. Harichand Megha Dalaya was the one who made this happen.The success of the initiative was due to the Anand Pattern Experiment at Amul, a dairy cooperative.

White Revolution

The Indian government’s White Revolution, which began in 1970, is regarded as one of the world’s largest dairy movements. The initiative known as Operation Flood was launched and finally led to the white revolution. The Indian government has launched this project. was innovative since it connected the country’s milk producers and sellers with customers in over 700 villages and cities.

The fundamental goal of the white revolution was to make India self-sufficient in milk production.This effort aided in increasing the country’s milk productivity, which was then sold at market prices.The dairy industry’s need for dairy animals expanded as a result of the white revolution, as did the adoption of contemporary technology.

The “Father of the White Revolution” is Dr. Verghese Kurien, the creator of Amul, the country’s largest milk producer. Dr. Verghese Kurien and H.M. Dalaya were also the first to develop a method for making milk powder from condensed buffalo milk.The adoption of new animal husbandry technologies and changes in feed ingredient composition characterised the white revolution. The revolution began with three main objectives in mind: increasing milk production, increasing rural income, and providing affordable milk to customers.The white revolution was beneficial to India in several ways, including reducing milk solids imports, modernising dairy industry and infrastructures, addressing dairy needs, and enhancing the genetics of milking animals through cross breeding.

Dr Verghese Kurien

Verghese Kurien (26 November 1921 – 9 September 2012) was an Indian social entrepreneur whose “billion-litre idea,” Operation Flood, established dairy farming India’s greatest self-sustaining industry and the largest rural employment sector, giving a third of all rural income. In 30 years, it transformed India into the world’s largest milk producer, doubling the amount of milk available to each person and quadrupling milk output.

He created the Anand dairy cooperative model, which he replicated across the country based on various “top-down” and “bottom-up” approaches, in which no milk from a farmer was refused and consumers paid 70–80 percent of the price in cash to dairy farmers who controlled the marketing, procurement, and processing of milk and milk products as the dairy’s owners.The manufacturing of milk powder from buffalo milk rather than cow milk, which was in short supply in India, was an Amul discovery.

He also made India self-sufficient in edible oils and opposed the “oil monarchs,” who used deception and violence to maintain control over the oilseed sector.

The Dairy’s Foundation and Structure

Farmers encountered an issue with fluctuating milk output when extra milk found no buyers during the flush season (when cows produce more milk) and resorted to the cooperative for assistance, where they proposed converting the surplus into milk powder. H. M. Dalaya, Kurien’s American batchmate and dairy engineer, who he persuaded to return to Anand after a visit, created the technology of manufacturing skim milk powder and condensed milk using buffalo milk rather than cow milk. Unlike Europe, buffalo milk was plentiful in India, whereas cow milk was scarce. As a result, Amul was able to fight successfully against Nestle, the leading milk competitor, and then against Glaxo, the leading infant food opponent.

Dr. G. H. Wilster’s later study led to the manufacturing of cheese from buffalo milk at Amul. Kurien purchased a captive packaging-tin unit linked to the dairy business to save money.

Amul organised dairy farmers in villages and linked them directly to market consumers, eliminating middlemen and ensuring a steady and consistent income for them even during the lean season, as well as better quality products at a competitive price to consumers in the large market of reachable Bombay city, via well-paved village “milk roads” and “cold-chains.”

Kurien died on September 9, 2012, at the age of 90, in a Nadiad hospital in Anand, after an illness. Molly, his wife, welcomed the guests in Anand. Before becoming an atheist, Kurien was raised as a Christian. He was cremated and leaves behind a daughter, Nirmala, as well as a grandson.

Conclusion

As a result of the White Revolution, milk productivity increased, and milk was now sold at market prices. This initiative increased demand for healthy animal growth and production, the use of modern technologies in the milk production business, and the networking of small and large-scale dairy companies.India’s White Revolution was effective in changing the country from a milk-deficient country to a world milk leader. It aided dairy farming in becoming India’s most self-sustaining industry and a major source of rural employment.