By Avinash Nair

Copyright thehindubusinessline

Move over ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ — Gujarat’s women farmers are hitting the jackpot not on TV screens, but in their own backyards. Leading the charge is 60-year-old Navalben Chaudhary, a milk producer who raked in an astonishing ₹2.04 crore last year through dairy farming.

Navalben was among the top 10 women producers honoured at the Annual General Meeting of Banas Dairy, the largest milk-collecting cooperative in Gujarat recently. In the last fiscal, 14 women milk producers earned ₹1 crore or more by supplying milk to Banas Dairy — a leading member of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which markets the iconic Amul brand.

Navalben, who has never attended school, began her dairy journey with just 15 cattle. Today, she manages nearly 300 cows and buffaloes. “She’s never been to school, but she’s an expert in cattle care and management,” says her son Mukesh Chaudhary. Navalben supplies 1,500 litres of milk daily and is assisted by members of five families in the milking process.

Success stories

A similar success story is that of Dariyanben Rajput (45), a dairy farmer from Banaskantha district, who earned ₹1.85 crore in the last fiscal. She began milking cattle at the age of 18 post-marriage. Currently, she looks after 200 buffaloes and 100 cows, with the support of 14 workers. “My day starts at 3:30 am and by 6 am, milking is done. I supply around 1,000 litres of milk daily and earn nearly ₹20 lakh a month,” she told businessline over the phone.

Navalben and Dariyaben are among the 4.72 lakh milk-producing farmers — including 1.68 lakh women (36 per cent) — who supply up to 100 lakh litres of milk daily to Banas Dairy during the peak season. In 2024–25, the dairy reported an annual turnover of ₹21,295 crore, marking a year-on-year growth of 11.6 per cent.

Top producers

Significantly women from all communities are in the top ten list. Taslimben Zaveri who earned ₹1.93 crore Saleh Amin (₹1.25 crore), Kusumben Dawda (₹93.01 lakh and Ursanaben (₹91.2 lakh) have benefitted from dairy farming in Banaskantha district in North Gujarat. The other top women milk producers honoured by Banas Dairy this year include Maniben Chaudhary (₹1.94 crore), Lilaben Chaudhary (₹1.06 crore), Keshben Vagda (₹1 crore) and Madhuben Chaudhary (₹91.76 lakh).

The infusion of income into the hands of women is now transforming rural economies, says Banas Dairy Chairman and Gujarat Assembly Speaker Shankar Chaudhary. “Each month, we deposit ₹1,200 crore directly into the accounts of milk-producing farmers,” he said, noting that this has led to increased investment in children’s education — especially in Banaskantha, one of Gujarat’s most backward districts in literacy, now excelling in school and higher education.

Financially empowered

Chaudhary added that women — across communities — who once focused solely on household duties are now financially empowered. “Families that once lived in kaccha houses now own modern bungalows and four-wheelers. Banaskantha has become one of the top rural districts in terms of two-wheeler, four-wheeler, and tractor purchases. The socio-economic gap is narrowing — this is the dairy revolution in action,” he said.

Taslim Zaveri (30) who hails from a Muslim family in North Gujarat says dairying has helped uplift her family’s economic status, “We have been doing this business for generations. When I came to my husband’s house after marriage in 2014, he had 25 odd cattle. Now after 11 years of my marriage, we have 300 cattle. We have steadily increased our earnings and recently we managed to buy a parcel of land and a tractor,” said Zaveri, who earned ₹1.93 crore by selling milk to Banas Dairy last fiscal. “Apart from my family of seven, this daily supply of 1400 litres to Banas Dairy feeds the families of 22 others who assist us in cleaning and milking the cattle everyday,” she added.

According to the Gujarat government, of the total 21000 milk producing cooperative societies in Gujarat, 4986 are led by women. Over the past 10 years, the number of female beneficiaries receiving financial assistance have risen multifold. Compared to 805 women who availed financial support in 2014-15, the numbers surged to 42,337 in 2024-25. In total over 2.14 lakh women have benefitted from various animal husbandry schemes in the state during this 10-year period.

Published on September 24, 2025