Amul — India’s dairy giant — is betting big on Bengal’s love for doi. The cooperative has committed Rs 600 crore to build the world’s largest curd manufacturing plant in Howrah, with the capacity to produce
10 lakh kilograms of dahi, mishti doi, yogurt, lassi and buttermilk every single day. For Bengal’s consumers, farmers and workers, this is a story worth understanding.
The announcement was formalised at the Bengal Global Business Summit 2025 in Kolkata, where Amul MD Jayen Mehta confirmed the facility at Sankrail Food Park in Howrah — not just a curd plant, but a full integrated dairy complex that will process 15 lakh litres of milk daily and also manufacture ice cream, paneer, ghee, flavoured milk and UHT milk.
It is being built in two phases by Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union, the Anand-based arm behind Amul’s manufacturing.
So, Is Amul Already Big In Bengal?
Very. Amul is already the largest fresh milk brand in West Bengal, selling over one million litres of milk per day, and has built a milk procurement network spanning 14 districts with over 1.2 lakh women milk producers. That’s not a newcomer sizing up an unfamiliar market — that’s a dominant player doubling down.
The West Bengal dairy market reached nearly Rs 89,000 crore in 2024, and is projected to grow at over 12% annually through 2033. Key players in the state include GCMMF (Amul), Mother Dairy (under the West Bengal cooperative umbrella), Metro Dairy, and Red Crow Dairy. But the curd segment specifically was underserved at scale — and that’s exactly the gap Amul is targeting.
Why Curd? Why Now?
Because Bengalis run on doi. Mishti doi and tok doi — Bengal’s beloved sweet curd and sour curd — form a deep part of local cuisine, and Amul officials cited strong and growing consumer demand for these products as a core reason for the investment.
Eastern markets, including West Bengal, Bihar and Odisha, remain among the most underserved in India’s organised dairy sector, holding only about 18% of the organised market share — though that gap has been narrowing thanks to expansion by players including those on quick-commerce platforms.
Amul clearly sees a massive opportunity in formalising and scaling what is still a largely informal, local market for fresh curd.
What Will People In Kolkata Actually See On Shelves?
The plant will produce dahi, mishti doi, yogurt, lassi and buttermilk alongside ice cream, flavoured milk, paneer, ghee and UHT milk — essentially a one-stop dairy complex for products Kolkatans consume daily. The facility is designed to serve Kolkata and neighbouring districts first, then strengthen Amul’s foothold across eastern India.
Practically, this means more availability, more consistent pricing and products made locally rather than transported from Gujarat — which should keep things fresher and potentially cheaper over time.
Does Bengal Have Any Local Champion Like Nandini In Karnataka?
This is where it gets interesting. Nandini — the brand of the Karnataka Milk Federation — is arguably the most emotionally charged example of regional dairy loyalty in India.
Nandini dominates Karnataka’s dairy landscape with over ₹21,000 crore in revenue and covers around 70% of the Bengaluru milk market. When Amul announced entry into Bengaluru, it triggered a political firestorm.
Thousands of Bengaluru hoteliers pledged to use only Nandini products, with the Bruhat Bengaluru Hoteliers Association stating “we must use and promote only Nandini milk — it’s our duty.”
A #SaveNandini campaign swept social media, with politicians from the Congress to BJP competing to be seen sipping Nandini products at local parlours.
Bengal has no equivalent rallying force. The state’s dairy market is competitive but fragmented, with Amul, Mother Dairy, Metro Dairy and Red Crow Dairy as the main players — none with the singular cultural weight Nandini commands in Karnataka.
West Bengal’s cooperative dairy infrastructure is less centralised and less emotionally mobilised. That, paradoxically, makes it easier for Amul to grow here without the political headwinds it faced in the south.
Is This Plant A Result Of BJP Coming To Power In Bengal?
This is nuanced. The investment was announced in February 2025 at the Bengal Global Business Summit — which was still a Mamata Banerjee-organised event, as the TMC was in power until the 2026 state elections.
The BGBS 2025 itself was widely seen as a pre-election push by the Mamata government to shake off Bengal’s long-standing anti-industry image ahead of the assembly polls.
However, the political context matters. The Amul plant aligns tightly with the Centre’s White Revolution 2.0 — a programme driven by the Union Ministry of Cooperation under Amit Shah.
The new facility is explicitly linked to White Revolution 2.0, which aims to boost dairy production, strengthen rural livelihoods and expand milk procurement networks.
With the BJP now in power in Bengal following the 2026 elections, BJP leaders have actively promoted the Amul investment on social media, calling it Amul’s first fully-owned dairy plant in the state — and BJP president Samik Bhattacharya expressed confidence in a “magic” industrial transformation within 100 days of taking charge.
The investment straddles both governments, but its political momentum clearly suits the new dispensation.
What Does It Mean For Farmers And Jobs?
The project is expected to generate employment and enhance dairy infrastructure in the region. Amul already connects over 1.2 lakh women milk producers across 14 districts in Bengal — a number that is likely to grow significantly as the plant scales procurement.
The cooperative model means farmers supplying milk to Amul become stakeholders in the value chain, not just price-takers.
Amul Beyond Bengal: A Giant That Keeps Growing
Amul’s Bengal plant is one piece of an aggressively expanding national and global enterprise. Amul holds a brand valuation of US$4.1 billion, making it India’s most valuable food brand — well ahead of competitors in the food sector — driven by its strong product portfolio, deep market penetration and competitive pricing.
On the global stage, the cooperative has turned geopolitical tensions into opportunity. During the West Asia crisis, GCMMF saw an eight per cent turnover growth in 2023-24, reaching Rs 59,445 crore, and currently processes 31 million litres of milk per day with an annual capacity of 50 million litres.
As reported, Amul shipped around 2,700 metric tonnes of skimmed milk powder to Dubai in a single month of the crisis period — compared to virtually nothing the previous year — as Gulf importers scrambled to secure dairy supplies.
Amul today exports to nearly 50 countries, and has expanded into the United States market, cementing its place not just as India’s dairy darling but as an emerging global cooperative force.
