Kolhapur’s Dairy Powerhouse ‘Gokul’ Generates Over ₹4500 Crore Annually, Benefits 15 Lakh Farmers
Kolhapur’s Dairy Powerhouse ‘Gokul’ Generates Over ₹4500 Crore Annually, Benefits 15 Lakh Farmers
Kolhapur’s cooperative dairy sector sees historic profitability and robust farmer support through Gokul Milk Union.
Kolhapur: The Kolhapur District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union, widely known as Gokul, continues to play a pivotal role in transforming the region’s rural economy. With an annual contribution of over ₹4500 crore to the dairy sector, Gokul is offering both financial stability and diversified income to nearly 15 lakh farmers in the district. This cooperative model has elevated dairy farming from a side business to a viable source of income alongside sugarcane cultivation.
Gokul currently connects 5.6 lakh milk-producing farmers through 7,509 affiliated milk societies, collecting 15 lakh liters of milk daily and selling 14 lakh liters per day. The cooperative’s annual turnover has reached ₹3,653 crore, with an authorized share capital of ₹100 crore and realized capital of ₹74.5 crore. Its financial strength is further underpinned by reserves worth ₹374.2 crore, investments of ₹292.63 crore, and fixed assets totaling ₹260.77 crore. In FY 2024-25, Gokul reported a net profit of ₹11.45 crore, with an additional milk price difference distribution of ₹104.65 crore to farmers, taking total returns to an impressive scale.
At a recent review meeting held at the District Central Cooperative Bank, Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif and Legislative Council Congress Group Leader MLA Satej Patil praised the historic financial achievements and applauded Chairman Arun Dongle, Executive Director Yogesh Godbole, and the entire team for their transparent and farmer-centric operations.
A standout feature of Gokul’s operations is its practice of returning 82% of total income directly to farmers, using just 18% for administrative and operational costs, making it the first dairy cooperative in the country to achieve this efficiency. Gokul continues to maintain its tradition of transferring ₹69 crore to farmers’ accounts every ten days, offering prompt payments and building farmer trust.
In FY 2023-24, the union offered farmers an average purchase rate of ₹58.29 per liter for buffalo milk and ₹38.12 for cow milk, marking one of the most farmer-friendly pricing structures nationwide.
Awards and Recognition
Gokul’s excellence has been widely acknowledged with numerous awards, including:
- National Productivity Award by the National Productivity Council
- Sahakar Bhushan Award (3 times) from Maharashtra Government
- NDDB’s Excellence Award for Women Empowerment
- ISO:22000-2018 and ISO:9001:2015 certifications
- Q-Mark certification and BIS standards for animal feed
- Repeated energy-saving awards for its dairy operations
- Central Government certification for dairy exports
- Patent for a milk replacer product
Diversified Products and Modern Initiatives
Gokul’s product line includes a wide array of dairy items such as ghee, shrikhand, flavored milk, paneer, lassi, and the famous Kolhapuri pedha. Recent innovations include:
- ‘Bag Silage’ concept for better cattle feed quality
- ‘Mukta Gotha’ for sustainable cattle rearing
- A 50-ton daily fodder brick project
- A slurry processing initiative to convert waste into organic fertilizer
- 5745 biogas plants installed under the carbon credit scheme, with ₹20.26 crore subsidy extended to farmers
- A solar power plant of 6.5 MWP capacity at Limbewadi, Solapur
- A ₹1.25 crore investment in herbal animal supplements
- Establishment of a modern animal disease diagnostic lab
- Maharashtra’s first ‘Vairan Bank’ for barren land utilization
With its commitment to transparency, innovation, and farmer welfare, Gokul continues to serve as a model of cooperative success and rural empowerment in Maharashtra.
