By Bishnu Prasad Upadhaya Amlighat, Morigaon, Assam
III.2 The comprising chemistry of SJDUSS: Sita Jakhala Dugdha Utpadak Samabai Samitee Ltd (SJDUSS) came into inception in year 1958 and registered vide no 67/58-59; Amlighat. Practice of cattle farming for milk was prevalence in the area since 1920, but the business was totally unorganized in nature. After independence, when demand in the market begin to arise, some middle men pave the way for lucrative profit leading farmers towards more and more distress. That makes some socially conscious persons to go in organized way. At initial stage 15 no’s of members whose only source of livelihood was cattle farming joined their hands to form “Sitajakhala” a Milk Producer Cooperative Society in the year 1958 with their merge production. During the period of establishment it was viewed that the production of milk in surrounding villages in the area was substantial, but the producers were deprived of deserved price because of unorganised marketing system. So some socio economically conscious people thought about collecting and sell it through organised marketing. This thought was the nutshells of inspiration behind the formation of the cooperative society which fruitioned as Sitajakhala Dugdha Utpadak Samabai Samiti Ltd (SJDUSS) in the year 1958 vide Regd. No. 67/58-59 at Amlighat.
In the year 1961, the society came under the stewardship of Nanda Lal Upadhyaya, who left the comfortable job of a school teacher to give leadership to the society. Once SJDUSS gained the pace of its activities in the field of milk business and other, numbers of farmers from different parts of Assam and present day Meghalaya joined this organisation, having faith in its kind of leadership, leaving aside their old fashioned pastoral grazing or cattle ranching in and around. The creation of new states in North East by dividing Assam also led numbers of farmers to come to Assam and settle here in search of socio cultural similarity abandoning their profession of Pastoral Grazing, Cattle Ranching or other kind of Cultivation. Thus unity emerged and this society has gathered a lot of experience of ups and downs since last almost sixty years of its existence. This is a unique example of milk cooperative in North East India, securing NCDC award in the year 2006.
III.3 Organisational profile of Sitajakhala Dugdha Utpadak Samabai Samitee Ltd (SJDUSS): The Organisational profile of Sita Jakhala Dugdha Utpadak Samabai Samitee Ltd (SJDUSS) can be divided into four classes i) General council comprising all the active general members.
ii) The Board of Directors iii) Office Staff with Secretary as chief executive. iv) Field workers. i) General council: The general council consists of all the general members of SJDUSS. This council generally sits once in a year. In the case the Board of Directors feels if necessary, regarding decision on vital issues with far reaching implication, the secretary of the samitee calls General council meeting or extended Executive on the basis of vitality of the issue. In this council every legitimate member possesses equal say. ii) The Board of Directors BOD: The BOD consists of Nine director members elected directly by the General council members. The Chairman, vice Chairman and executive Chairman are elected by the director members on the simple majority rule from and among themselves. In the history of SJDUSS the director members have been always elected unanimously in the General council, although there is a provision for contest. This signifies the unity and trust among the members. When the samitee feels it necessary to have some more resource person or persons in the BOD the general council entrust the right to nominate them as advisors or invitee member or both on BOD. On behalf of BOD the chairman nominates them after a brief discussion with elected BOD members.
iii) Office Staff: Secretary is the chief executive of the office. Whole the responsibility of normal running of business of the samitee lies on the soldier of the secretary. He has every right to deploy each employee when requires as per their grade wherever one dim fit. Each of the office bearers is accountable to the secretary; secretary is accountable to the BOD and BOD in turn is accountable to the General council. iv) Field worker: The duty of Procurement and distribution of milk as well as the cattle feed maintaining proper quality, quantity and price as per directives from the office lies on the Field workers.
Marketing strategy of Sitajakhala milk producers cooperative society
Sitajakhala Milk producers’ cooperative society is as already stated that it was formed way back in 1958 has a long experience of marketing raw milk. The situation prevailed during 1950-2000 with controlled economy and present day liberalized economy differs a lot. In this juncture the society has to possess a processing plant to keep intact the sale point it possess and to expand the market labeling the Brand “SITAJAKHALA” which is already popular among the consumers. Processing will
provide Value Addition and additional hours of life to the milk with which present day distant market will be easily reachable one. As such geographic extension in establishing sale points becomes viable and profitable because quality can be guaranteed with processed product. Here it is to be noted that in the last 55 years of milk cooperatives history in NE India Sitajakhala has been able to establish its goodwill among the buyers. Hence it will be much easier to launch and populerise the processed milk in the Market as the quality would be ensured at the time of packaging.
Sitajakhala has strategy to reap the benefit of all the markets and Bazaar areas those comes on the way up to Jorhat towards the east and down to Nalbari towards the west including Tezpur and Morigaon town in between as the goodwill of the organisation is already there among the consumers of these areas. At present the society has its sale points of raw milk at Jakhalabandha, Nagaon, Raha, Morigaon, Jagiroad, Guwahati and Nalbari. In these markets with the processed products the time factor will certainly permit the society to extend the Market and enhance the volume of sale. Which in turn will allow more expend for expand the production base with remunerative farm gate price to the producer farmers.
List of farmers: office is to provide List of villages: office is to provide the Data. Cattle population: office is to provide( ask the Question to DVO/Anil Deka /Baruah) Milk procurement a day: office is to provide from official record veterinary facilities in the areas: At present minimum necessary facility is available
historical background, organization profile,;;;;last 10 years marketing plan and point of sale,
