SCOPE's Experience in Dairy Cooperatives: 2001-2002

As you know your organization has been campaigning for the establishment of Co-operatives under the J&K Self Reliant Co-operatives Act, 1999. You are aware of the efforts made in this regard and how the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) was contacted and involved and how the farmers from Nikkian–Marchangi villages of Khour Tehsil had gone on a Farmers Initiation Programme (FIP) to Anand where besides visiting the Amul Plant, they also witnessed the functioning of the Co-operatives and studied the full milk collection and processing procedure. They also interacted with the farmers from Gujarat and discussed the functioning of the Dairy Co-operatives with them. They had returned to Jammu with a lot of enthusiasm and keenness to form similar self-sustaining co-operatives in their own area. We had also taken up the matter on their behalf with the J&K Government and the NDDB. Co-operative Initiative Panel (CIP), Anand helped us in this process.

You would recall we had involved the Chief Secretary, J&K in this matter and he had also written a letter dated 13^th February 2001 to the Chairman, NDDB on our behalf urging the NDDB to help in the formation of certain model Co-operatives under the new Act. As result of our efforts the J&K Government took up the matter with the NDDB, which resulted in the signing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the J&K Government and the NDDB on 23^rd May 2001. The following decisions were taken between the two parties: -

1.                  Keeping in view the Parallel Act passed by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, a new Co-operative Union will be set up in Jammu and new DCS’s will be formed under the new Act.

2.                  J&K Government will facilitate the meeting between NDDB and various NGOs at Jammu so as to select an NGO who could take the initiative in forming the Union and the societies.

3.                  NDDB will provide necessary training for the staff recruited by the new Union. A project proposal will be prepared by the Union with NDDB’s assistance, if required, which will also include setting up of a dairy plant, for submission to Government of India for funding under IDDP.

4.                  An interim linkage with Milkfed, Punjab for marketing milk collected by the Societies that are set up could be explored.

5.                  The new Union could start market activities by obtaining liquid milk from Milkfed, Punjab.”

In order to facilitate the inter-action of the NDDB with various interested NGOs in Jammu, a meeting of all interested NGOs along with the officials from the Department of Co-operatives, the Jammu Milk Federation and NABARD was called by Shri I.S. Malhi, IAS, Financial Commissioner, Department of Agriculture, Co-operatives and Rural Development, J&K Government at Hotel Asia on 19.08.2001. Shri V.N. Rao, Regional Manager, Northern Region, NDDB, Mr. Arun Wayangankar, Sr. Manager, NDDB, New Delhi and Shri Sudershan Srinivas, Manager, NDDB who is also the Secretary of the CIP represented the NDDB team.

 The meeting generated a lot of debate and interest and all the organizations present put forward their claim to be the coordinating NGO that would take the initiative in forming the Co-operative Union and the Societies. Our representative at the meeting spoke about the efforts made by our organization during the last three-four years and outlined all our activities in the field of co-operatives in general and our interest in setting up Dairy Co-operative Societies (DCSs) in particular. He highlighted the fact that this meeting that was taking place, was not to be viewed in isolation but to be seen as a link in the chain of developments that our organization had un-leashed. Most organizations present understood our role, interest and experience in this field and agreed to work with us in this regard. We were strongly supported by the Gram Vikas Sangh (GVS) who explained how the farmers in the Khour Block were yearning to start Dairy Co-operatives due to the efforts made by SCOPE in that area. The only opposition to our candidature after this came from the Confederation of Voluntary and Charitable Organizations, Jammu and their representative Dr. R.R. Khajuria who is a former Managing Director of the Jammu Milk Federation. He insisted that his organization was best suited to be the coordinating NGO to form the Union as it was already in touch with different NGO all over the State. At this point the NDDB officials had to ask Dr. Khujaria if any of these Organization that were a part of his Confederation had worked in the field of Co-operatives or Dairying?  When Dr. Khujaria replied in negative, the NDDB officials clearly told the gathered NGOs, that they would like to work with SCOPE in this regard because they felt that SCOPE had been interested in this field for some time and had the necessary expertise to not only network and form the Co-operative Union and the Dairy Co-operative Societies but also to prepare the Project Proposal to be submitted to the Government of India for funding under the Integrated Dairy Development Project (IDDP).

It is thus, my proud privilege to record that the NDDB chose our organization from amongst all the NGOs of J&K to coordinate the activities for forming a Co-operative Milk Union and other allied activities in Jammu. We met the officials from the NDDB and they asked us to prepare the background information for the proposal that would be improved with technical inputs from the dairy experts of the NDDB, which could then be submitted to the Government of India for financing under the IDDP. We have already submitted the background material for the proposal and after adding inputs from NDDB experts; the draft proposal of the project is also ready and stands submitted to the NDDB for approval. There seems to be some delay and hesitation on the part of the NDDB to approve the proposal. When we enquired the reason for the delay we were told that the management in NDDB is more inclined towards the formation of Women’s Dairy Co-operatives (WDCs) so it would be better if we submitted a proposal for a Women’s Dairy Co-operative as a model for the region in which we are working, that is Khour Block of Jammu District. We have taken up this matter with the farmers of Khour Block. Being a male dominated rural set up we think that the men may not allow women to become members of the WDCs. This is because of the economic independence this will entail and the gender bias existing amongst the rural population. We must accept that our idea of WDCs has only been accepted half-heartedly and it has generated a lot of debate in the area. When some of our members spoke to groups of women in these villages about WDCs, this idea was greatly welcomed by all the women. In spite of this we want to tread cautiously because we do not want to rock the boat of our relationship with the villagers of this area who still consider us as outsiders. We are still awaiting a thorough discussion on this issue and would like the farmers to them selves tell us that they are interested in setting up WDCs in their area.