Women Powering Gujarat’s Dairy Revolution: From Milk Collection to Cooperative Leadership

Aug 18, 2026

Gujarat’s dairy sector is witnessing a strong rise in women’s participation, transforming rural livelihoods and cooperative leadership. Over the past five years, women-led dairy societies have grown 21 percent to 4,562 across the state. In Banaskantha, the women-managed Harsiddhnagar cooperative collects, tests and supplies around 2,000 litres of milk to Banas Dairy every day. Nearly 12 lakh women are now among Gujarat’s 36 lakh dairy producers. Women-managed cooperatives procure 57 lakh litres of milk daily, up 39 percent in five years, while daily revenue has risen from Rs 17 crore to Rs 25 crore and annual turnover has crossed Rs 6,000 crore. With nearly 80,000 women involved in cooperative management, dairy is emerging as a powerful platform for women’s economic empowerment, leadership and rural development.