Sitajakhala Dugdha Utpadak Samabai Samity Limited (SJDUSSL) which started as an organisation with 17 members now has 1000 members. The products of the cooperative society have found markets in places like Kamrup, Morigaon and Nagaon districts of Assam. Since 2018, the society has started distributing pasteurised cow milk, curd, paneer, cream, rasgulla, lalmohan and other milk products to customers.
KRC TIMES Desk
A quiet revolution has been on for the past six decades in Amlighat, a small locality in Jagiroad in Assam’s Morigaon district. In 1958 to wipe out middlemen in the milk business, Sitajakhala Dugdha Utpadak Samabai Samity Limited (SJDUSSL) started.
The organisation with 17 members now has 1000 members. The products of the cooperative society have found markets in places like Kamrup, Morigaon and Nagaon districts of Assam.
Manjib Sharma joined the cooperative society in 2015 after serving in Indian Air Force for two decades.
The farm was started in 2000- 01 by his family members to give it a shape of Integrated farming and develop this as an institute to give technical know-how to farmers or students.
Since 2018, the society has started distributing pasteurised cow milk, curd, paneer, cream, rasgulla, lalmohan and other milk products to customers. Secretary of the cooperative society, Biman Sharma urges that their milk is pure and has gained popularity amongst a large section of customers from Guwahati.
Presently, society has two plants – one for milk and other for curd. Every day the plant produces 4000 packets of milk.
The main focus of the organisation is maintaining quality. With 85 cattle In the lean period, they produce 200-250 litres of milk. But during the season, it goes around 400-plus. Farmers are getting government benefits.
The main architect behind the society was Nandalal Upadhaya. He wanted to usher in a white revolution in Assam. His endeavour saw the cooperative society carving a niche for itself in the state’s economy. From 1972 onwards, jersey cows were introduced here. UCO Bank, Sonapur branch helped farmers with loans.
The cooperative has now extended and strengthened required infrastructure to procure and market increasing volumes of milk, provide veterinary first-aid health services, fodder and artificial insemination services and made sure that the society where they are based out of is not lagging behind.
They served milk to the Indian Army through the Central Dairy during the Chinese aggression in 1962, The organisation have started the Sitajakhala High School and have developed the Jagiroad College by reducing the milk price by 10 paise per litre.
They also offer free ambulance service and financial help to the needy and meritorious student,The Dairy Co-operative movement will script history as yet another nationwide milk grid.
