The rally of 12 Maruti Suzuki bioCNG cars driven by Amul team, was flagged off from Himmatnagar in Sabarkantha District of Gujarat, by Shri Amit Shah, Honorable  Minister of Home Affairs and Cooperation, Government of India, in the presence of Shri Balvantsinh Rajput, Cabinet Minister of Industries, Civil Aviation, Rural Development, Labour and Employment, Government of Gujarat, Shri Jagdishbhai Vishwakarma, MOS, Cooperation & Industries, Shri Bhiku Sinhji Parmar, MOS, Food and civil supplies, Shri Bipinbhai Patel, Chairman, Gujarat State Cooperative cell, Shri Shamalbhai Patel, Chairman GCMMF (Amul), Dr Jayen Mehta, MD GCMMF (Amul), Dr Meenesh Shah, Chairman NDDB, Mr Kenichiro Toyofuku, Managing officer, Suzuki Motor Corporation and other dignitaries .

Shri Amit Shah also inaugurated the new state-of-the-art cattle feed plant of Sabarkantha District Co-operative milk producers union – Sabar Dairy at Hajipur, Himmatnagar. In his address to the gathering of 15000 farmers, he said ” It is due to the dairy cooperative movement, farmers today can live with dignity. Cooperative dairying has proved to be the most successful model of women empowerment that has brought nutrition and prosperity to the Sabarkantha region and the entire state of Gujarat.” He spoke of Hon Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi’s concept of Gobardhan Yojana to promote waste recycling, environmental protection and reducing the soil carbon and appreciated the effort of the cooperatives in implementing the same.

Every year, India celebrates 26 November, as the National Milk Day.  The dairy cooperative movement inspired by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel led to the formation of Amul in 1946 which was replicated across the country, resulting in India emerging as the largest producer of milk in the world. 

Amul, as the world’s largest farmer owned dairy cooperative and strongest food and dairy brand in the world is celebrating this event by organizing four mega car and bike rallies from four corners of India, Pune, Kolkata, Jammu and Himmatnagar in Gujarat ultimately converging in Delhi on 26th November at the National Milk Day celebration organized by the Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India. 

The four different rallies of 24 Maruti Suzuki bioCNG cars and 24 Bajaj bio CNG bikes driven by the Amul team shall make its way through various states and engage with farmers, dairy cooperatives, and institutions along the route to honour and celebrate the legacy of dairy cooperatives and spread awareness about the principles of circular economy and the importance of sustainability.

With its BioCNG pilot project in Banas Dairy, Gujarat, Amul is now striving to become a key player in representing the circular economy. This initiative not only provides farmers with an additional income source but also offers clean fuel and organic fertilizer. By setting up multiple plants across the state for processing dung, it underscores the positive and sustainable impact of this project on both the agricultural and energy sectors.

This is an attempt to make the dairy activity more environmentally friendly and sustainable through the new revolution of conversion of dung into biogas and to create a new source of income for farmers involved in the dairy sector.”

Suzuki is in the process of implementing 6 Bio-CNG plants in Gujarat in partnership with Amul affiliated dairy and planning to expand this initiative further.

Shri Shamalbhai Patel, Chairman GCMMF (AMUL) & Sabarkantha Milk union said, “The Amul Clean Fuel Rally has exemplified the message of sustainability and self-sufficiency. Amul Clean Fuel rally marks a significant stride towards a greener and more sustaining future for our dairy industry.

It is also a matter of great honour that India is hosting the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA)’s global conference for the first time in its 130-year history at New Delhi from 25-30 November.

The mega global event, on the theme “Cooperatives Build Prosperity for All”, is likely to be graced by the Hon. Prime Minister of India and Hon. Minister of Home Affairs and Cooperation and the event shall officially launch the United Nations International Year of Cooperatives 2025 (IYC2025) in the presence of global leaders, academics and practitioners.

A special screening of Amul’s national award-winning film Manthan will be organized at ICA’s Global Conference for all the delegates on 26th November at Bharat Mandapam.