Anand is often called the Milk Capital of India as the region is home to Amul Dairy. Tons of milk is produced in Anand everyday to fulfill the dairy requirements of millions of homes in India. It is a place worth a visit when you are in the state of Gujarat. Read on.
Every morning the milkman rings your doorbell to deliver your bottle or pack of milk. Or probably you just buy it off from the nearest milk booth during your regular strolls. Ever wondered, what it takes to bring that milk to your doorsteps? At some point in time you might have, indeed. Millions of homes buy milk as a necessary staple for the kids or for making tea and other stuff. Tons of milk is produced across India to meet the huge demand and cater to the nutritional needs that is associated with it. If you would like to witness how the whole business of producing and distributing milk goes on, Anand is the place you should visit. There are hotels in Anand and around where you can stay comfortably while you indulge in the exploration. Anand is a city in Gujarat. It is the place where the journey of Amul dairy started . Hence, Anand is popularly known as the Milk Capital of India.
Several decades back at a place in Anand called Kaira, there lived a farmer whose main occupation was cultivation since whatever milk his buffalo produced could not be sold at a profitable price as there was no well-established market in the region. The milk-selling business usually ran dry for the farmers as there were contractors and middlemen that controlled the process. The perishable nature of milk also made it further difficult since the milkmen could not just store it for longer time until they found the right price. On the contrary, the contractors who bought the milk in bulk at a low price from them earned a lot of profit. With the aid of Sardar Patel who was born in a suburb of Anand, an agitation started in 1946 which demanded a cooperative society of the milkmen of the city. The farmers and milkmen went out on strike and for a fortnight no milk was sold to the Bombay Milk Scheme which was a major buyer or to anyone else. As the cooperative was finally approved by the then government, the society started their own pasteurizing plants and sold about 250 litres of milk everyday. More farmers joined this enterprise over the years and even more cooperative societies were brought to existence. Thus was Amul born as a brand from this union of the milkmen. A White Revolution followed this and by 1970 Anand was producing and distributing a record amount of milk. Since then, school and college students, curious travellers, and people who want to take a closer look at the dairy industry, visit Anand every year. Finding budget hotels in Anand and around is not difficult and a number of hotels offer reasonable tariff. Anand is about 100 km from the state capital, Gandhinagar. Dakor, a place that is close to Anand, is a popular pilgrimage. Besides the dairy industry, cultivation of Tobacco and Banana also contribute to the region’s revenues. Explore this countryside of Gujarat and experience the story of milk production through your own eyes exclusively at Anand.
Author Bio: Sandeep is an experienced travel writer and enthusiast blogger. He has explored many known and less-known places in India in the last 10 years. His experience adds to his expert knowledge on the best hotels, different travel routes through trains, flights, and road. He also specializes in off-beat places to eat and stay at. He also advises amateur tourists on travel tips.
