Sarhad dairy is a big name in camel milk industry and is ready to exploit nature’s another treasure – the salt pans of the Rann of Kutch. The union wants to start selling Kutch’s salt along with milk. The union will start research to see the viability of selling Kutch’s salt under the brand name of Amul after a feasibility study in Kutch and neighboring Surendranagar district which count for 76 % of India’s total salt production. Gujarat’s total salt production stands at 2.20 crore tonnes per annum.
Sarhad Dairy’s chairman Valamji Humbal, also the vice chairman of the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) that markets brand Amul stated that they are considering this idea of salt and want to procure salt, process it and sell it. Presently they plan on appointing a consultant to find out whether this idea is viable and based on that report. Then will put the proposal in GCMMF’s board for marketing.
The union, which is a member of GCMMF, wants to form salt cooperative societies on the lines of village level milk societies that form the backbone of Gujarat’s vast dairy sector.
“If it materializes, it can also help agariyas (saltpan workers) earn more just like our milk producers. We want to get an estimate of investment in machinery and purchasing of land and if all the research indicates that this project is viable, we will kick start the project,” Valamji Humbal said.
At the same time, the milk union also wants to diversify in juice production. In October 2020, it had appointed a consultant to submit a report on producing fruit juice and market it under the brand name Amul. The dairy is planning to make kesar mango, pomegranate and date juice.
Valamji added that for fruit juice, the union had a couple of meetings with GCMMF but because of Covid-19 induced pandemic, the project could not take off. We are trying to eliminate middlemen wherever possible to increase farmers’ income. The juice project should now take off.