Introduction on A tribute of dr. Varghese kurien
Answers
Answer:
Much has already been said and written about the monumental contributions of Verghese Kurien to the development of the Indian dairy industry, rooted on the Gandhian Principle of production by masses. I met Dr Kurien soon after his return from the Michigan State University and his taking residence at Anand. Since then, we have shared ideas and experiences in the area of rural transformation through agriculture and dairying. Among the very many unique contributions of Dr Kurien which led to India becoming the leading milk producer of the world, I would like to highlight a few. First, he rightly concentrated on the processing, pricing and marketing aspects of milk production. He knew that if dairying becomes profitable, farm women and men will automatically care for the animals and look after breeding and nutrition. He also knew that in our country only a decentralized production of milk mainly by women, supported by key centralized services in the fields of animal nutrition, healthcare and processing will help to ensure both the income security of rural families and the production of the
necessary quantities of milk for the country. He therefore saw great merit in the power of Cooperative Milk Societies in conferring concurrently the advantages of production by masses and the benefits of modern centralized dairy processing technology. He therefore developed a ‘one stop’ method of meeting the needs of the over 75 million women engaged in milk production. Thus, the Amul Cooperative units not only purchased the milk but also provided breeding, healthcare and nutrition support. Thanks to Dr Kurien’s emphasis on payment based on butterfat content, the buffalo started getting attention once again. The survival of milch buffalo breeds and their dominant role in the dairy industry today is primarily because of the milk purchase and pricing procedures introduced by Dr Kurien.The other major contribution of Kurien is the diversification of processing and marketing channels. Thus,milk became available through bulk vending machines, as well as through direct home delivery procedures and distribution through sachets. Such a multiple delivery channel made it easy for
consumers to get milk whenever and wherever needed. Dr Kurien ensured the economic viability of the milk processing plants by deputing multidisciplinary spearhead teams to assess the quantity of milk available in an area and the capacity needed for the optimum functioning of the processing plant before it was established. When milk became available in plenty, he diversified the product mix by converting milk into milk powder. He also ensured a steady supply of milk throughout the year by the judicious combination of milk powder and raw milk. Above all, he developed a unique system of training potential dairy managers through the organization of a Siksha Dairy at the Anand Agricultural University, designed to impart training in all aspects of the dairy industry, ranging from milking the animal to processing, value‐addition and marketing. A lasting contribution of Dr Kurien was the establishment of the Institute of Rural Management at Anand to provide the country with well trained and competent managers for handling rural enterprises including dairying, I was the Principal Secretary in the Union Ministry of Agriculture when the inspiring report prepared by Drs Kamala Choudhary and Kurien came for approval. This is the first time that a serious attempt was being made in our country to professionalise rural cooperatives. Looking back, it is difficult to believe that one person could have achieved so much in his life time for transforming a small scale household activity into the world’s largest milk producing enterprises. More than for any one else, the following description of extraordinary individual by Rainer Maria Rilke :
“Again and Again in history
Some special people wake up
They have no ground in the crowd
They move to broader laws
They carry strange customs with them
And demand room for bold audacious actions
The future speaks ruthlessly through them
They change the world”
If you wanna talk then