Contents
- Indian agriculture needs a Verghese Kurien
Indian agriculture needs a Verghese Kurien
Context:
Many wish for legendary “Milk Man of India” Verghese Kurien’s presence in our midst today as the conflict between the Central government and the farming community on the issue of the farm laws appears to be still unresolved.
Relevance:
GS-III: Indian Agriculture (Agriculture and its allied industries
Dimensions of the Article:
- Who was Verghese Kurien & what were his contributions?
- Agriculture and Amul
Who was Verghese Kurien & what were his contributions?
- Dr Verghese Kurien was a chairman of Amul, an Indian cooperative dairy company.
- He is also called ‘the father of the White Revolution’ in the country.
- Verghese Kurien is known for transforming India’s dairy’s sector; his contribution made the country the largest milk producer in the world.
- “India’s place in the sun will come from the partnership between the wisdom of its rural people and the skill of its professionals”, captures the essence of his life and mission.
Influence of Gandhian Thoughts
- Kurien’s enthusiasm for the cooperative model was influenced by Gandhian ideas on poverty alleviation and social development.
- He thought that co-operatives were the most physical incarnation of Mahatma Gandhi’s powerful insight that “what the world needs is not mass production, but production by the masses.”
- He also questioned the business sector’s objectives in terms of social responsibility.
- He argued that profit drove much of the corporate sector, rather than public benefit.
Agriculture and Amul
Issues in Agricultural Sector:
- In India, the cooperative movement is in a state of change. It has suffered as a result of a lack of competent management, inadequate funding, and low technological uptake.
- Suicides among farmers are not uncommon, and they weigh hard on the nation’s conscience.
- Meanwhile, the epidemic has widened the gap between urban and rural areas.
- In rural India, incomes are decreasing, and the country appears to be on the verge of a major human disaster.
Significance of Amul in Agriculture
- The success of Amul has sparked similar movements in other agricultural commodities in India.
- The private sector excels in areas such as marketing and management, branding, and technology, and sets benchmarks for firms all around the world to follow and adapt.
- Simultaneously, Amul was progressively establishing itself as a laboratory, creating important inventions and inventing its own technologies, which have bolstered its competitiveness against global firms.
Case Study: Amul Cooperative Model
- Amul has steadily expanded its product line and added new ones, building on the strong foundation created by its visionary leader.
- Amul is still one of India’s most well-known food brands, and other dairy cooperatives such as Nandini in Karnataka, Aavin in Tamil Nadu, and Verka in Punjab look up to it for inspiration.
-Source: The Hindu
