Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], September 18 : Women play a pivotal role in Gujarat's animal husbandry sector through dairy cooperatives and self-help groups. Of the state's 16,000-plus milk producers' cooperative societies, around 4,150 are managed by women. Out of more than 36 lakh members across Gujarat, over 11 lakh are women, the Gujarat Chief Minister's office said in a press release
Their contribution is particularly noteworthy in large dairies such as Banas Dairy, which collects nearly 90 lakh litres of milk daily, where women in animal husbandry play a remarkable role. In Banas Dairy, many women members have enhanced their economic stability by supplying milk worth over Rs 50 lakh annually, the statement added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi envisions strengthening the cooperative sector to ensure prosperity for farmers and animal husbandry farmers in every village. Advancing this vision, under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Gujarat has emerged as a key player in the cooperative sector nationwide.
According to the release, due to these efforts, animal husbandry farmers in the state are prospering, with women becoming self-reliant and inspiring society. One such inspiring success story is that of Maniben from Banaskantha, who ranked second in the district by selling milk worth Rs 1.94 crore in 2024-25. This year, she is working towards her target of Rs 3 crore in milk sales.
In Kasara village of Kankrej taluka, 65-year-old Maniben Jesung Chaudhary supplies 1,100 litres of milk daily to the local The Patelvas (Kasara) Milk Producers' Cooperative Society. In 2024-25, she supplied 3,47,180 litres of milk worth Rs 1,94,05,047. This achievement earned her second place in the "Best Banas Lakshmi" category in Banaskantha district. She was honoured with a certificate of recognition at the recently held general meeting in Badarpura, Banaskantha.
Maniben aims to take her success to greater heights. Her youngest son, Vipul, shared, "With proper guidance from Banas Dairy, we are progressing well in this field. In 2011, we had only 10 to 12 cows and buffaloes, which has now grown to over 230. At present, we have 140 adult buffaloes, 90 cows, and about 70 calves. This year, we plan to purchase 100 more buffaloes to boost milk production. By the end of the year, we are preparing to sell milk worth over Rs 3 crore."
To support this, her family has set up sheds for the care of their cattle. They rear Banni, Mehsani, and Murrah breeds of buffaloes, along with HF cows and four indigenous Kankrej breed cows, the statement added.
Currently, about 16 families are associated with Maniben in animal husbandry activities. Milking of cows and buffaloes is carried out with the help of modern machinery, while family members actively contribute to every aspect of the work, setting an example of Aatmanirbharta. Vipul noted, "All three of us brothers are graduates and fully engaged in this work. As incomes in animal husbandry continue to rise, many young people will be encouraged to take up this profession."