Inside Indias white revolution 2.0: Shahs big bet on circular dairy economy
AHMEDABAD: Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Saturday inaugurated Banas Dairy's Bio-CNG and Fertilizer Plant in Banaskantha. He also laid the foundation stone for a new milk powder and baby food facility. Shah said the circular economy model will boost dairy farmers income by 20% within five years, marking what he called a decisive step toward White Revolution 2.0. Amit Shah is on a three-day tour of Gujarat. With the inauguration of Banas Dairys state-of-the-art Bio-CNG and Fertilizer Plant at Agthala and the foundation stone laid for a 150-TPD milk powder and baby food unit in Sanadar, Shah signaled that Gujarat is prepared to lead India into what he termed a new era of circular economy-driven rural prosperity. Shah began his address with a claim that the income of livestock farmers will rise by more than 20 percent in the next five years. Connecting his announcement to a larger national strategy, Shah said the model being built in Banaskantha would not remain local for long. A concrete plan for implementing this model nationwide will emerge today, he declared, confirming that Members of Parliament had joined him specifically to study Banas Dairys framework. Shah invoked Prime Minister Narendra Modis mantra Prosperity through Cooperationdeclaring that cooperative institutions are becoming the backbone of India's rural development ecosystem. Banas Dairy is not just Gujarats pride; it has become Asias cooperative model, he asserted, lauding its 24,000-crore turnover. Shah sharply underlined the shift from traditional dairy economics to a value-added, waste-to-wealth model: Now farmers will earn not only from milk but also from cow dung. This project is a step toward making kanchan from kachra turning waste into wealth, Shah said. Calling the project a textbook example of the circular economy, Shah explained how cattle dung will generate Bio-CNG while the residue will be processed into organic fertilizer reducing dependency on chemical alternatives, improving soil health and directly lowering input cost for farmers. He urged farmers to switch to natural farming, arguing it would enrich soil quality and public health, and provide affordable fertilizer through the new plant. Turning his focus to future value expansion, Shah said India must now think beyond paneer and curd. There are products in global demand that India still doesnt make. If we produce them, our farmers will earn even more, he said pointing to the upcoming baby food and milk powder plant as the first step in diversification. In a political masterstroke aimed at both stakeholders and skeptics, Shah revealed that chairpersons and managing directors of major cooperative dairies across India will visit Banas Dairy in January 2026 to learn from its model, ensuring Gujarats template becomes Indias cooperative blueprint. Shah also highlighted a newer dimension of the circular model including processing hides from naturally deceased cattle for leather suggesting that every component of the livestock chain will eventually generate revenue under the White Revolution 2.0 framework. Shah acknowledged women dairy farmers, crediting them for transforming Banaskanthas dairy economy without protest or agitation. Women here sent a message to the world that empowerment is not slogans but systems. You worked, earned, and ensured income goes directly to your bank accounts, he said.
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