India’s dairy cooperative movement is increasingly becoming a platform for women’s economic empowerment, with women accounting for a significant share of the sector’s workforce while gaining greater access to collective ownership, income and decision-making. A recent Fair Observer analysis highlights that women comprise more than half of India’s agricultural workforce, with 21.7 million women compared with 19.7 million men working in agriculture, although the average female agricultural worker earns only about two-thirds of the income of a male agricultural worker.
The dairy sector offers a particularly important pathway because livestock activities such as feeding, watering, cleaning sheds and milking are predominantly managed by women. However, women continue to face barriers including limited land ownership, access to credit, insurance, government schemes and participation in cooperatives; only 14% of agricultural land is owned by women, according to the article. (
India’s women-centric dairy cooperative ecosystem has expanded significantly. Between 2020 and 2025, the number of women’s dairy cooperatives in Gujarat increased 21%, from 3,764 to 4,562, while women’s representation on village cooperative management committees increased 14%, from 70,200 to 80,000. Over the same period, annual revenues of women-run cooperatives rose 43%, from approximately ₹63.1 billion to more than ₹90 billion, while daily revenue increased from ₹170 million to ₹250 million.
The broader cooperative network is substantial. As of 2025, India had 22 dairy federations, 241 district dairy cooperative unions, 28 dairy marketing cooperatives and 25 Milk Producer Organisations (MPOs), covering approximately 235,000 villages and 17.2 million dairy producers; women account for around 70% of the workforce and 35% of cooperative members. The country also has more than 48,000 women-owned cooperative dairies.
India’s dairy sector has simultaneously expanded its production base. Milk production increased from 146.31 million metric tonnes in FY2014–15 to 247.87 million metric tonnes in FY2024–25, a rise of more than 69.4%, while the sector recorded average annual growth of 5.41% over the decade. India now accounts for nearly 25% of global milk production.
The article highlights several successful women-led dairy models. Amul, established in 1946, has 3.6 million producer members, operates through 18,600 village dairy cooperatives and produces around 35 million litres of milk per day. Its women-focused initiatives include dairy training, milk processing, technical knowledge, financial literacy and entrepreneurial skills.
The Mulkanoor Women’s Cooperative Dairy in Telangana, established in 2002, operates through 192 women’s dairy cooperatives within a 30-kilometre radius and produces more than 50 milk and dairy products. It also holds ISO 22000:2018 certification for food-safety management systems.
Another major example is Shreeja Mahila Milk Producer Company, founded in Tirupati in 2014 with just 27 women. It has grown to more than 120,000 female member producers, with over 95% of milk producers coming from small- and marginal-farm households. In FY2024–25, Shreeja provided benefits to more than 113,989 members across over 1,700 villages, procured 680,149 litres of milk daily and recorded turnover of ₹11.0583 billion.
Government support is also expanding. As of December 2025, more than 26,300 Women Welfare Cooperative Societies were registered in the National Cooperative Database, while India had 144,396 dairy cooperatives as of December 2024. Initiatives including Lakhpati Didi, Namo Drone Didi, Women-Led Collectivization and FPOs, along with cooperative-sector reforms, aim to increase women’s participation in agriculture and allied activities.
During FY2024–25, more than ₹13.55 billion was disbursed to over 4.1 million women members, while cumulative financing to women-only cooperatives exceeded ₹77 billion. The Ministry of Cooperation’s White Revolution 2.0, launched in 2024, also seeks to increase milk production, create employment and strengthen women’s empowerment through cooperative societies.
The larger message for India’s dairy industry is clear: women’s participation is not simply a social-development issue—it is an economic growth opportunity. Stronger access to ownership, finance, technology, training, markets and cooperative leadership can help convert women’s existing contribution to dairy into greater household income, stronger rural enterprises and a more inclusive dairy value chain. (Fair Observer)
Source: Dairynews7x7 24 Aug, 2026 Read full story here
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