Page 20 - Dairy Dimension - Mar-Apr 2025

| Volume 1 | Issue 3 | Mar-Apr 2025 INTERVIEW | Volume 1 | Issue 3 | Mar-Apr 2025

resilient milk entrepreneurs. Sumitra Devi, a farmer from a small village in Rajasthan,
Why This Matters started her dairy journey with a single local cow, walking
At a time when climate pressures, global trade shifts, miles to sell milk at whatever rate local traders offered.
and urban demand are reshaping India's dairy sector, After the establishment of a Paayas Milk Pooling Point in
leaders like Dr. Singh are on the frontlines. His journey her village, she gained access to AI services, training, and
exemplifies how rural innovation, women's leadership, direct payments. Today, she owns four crossbred cows,
and mission-driven institutions can redefine the future sends her daughters to school, and sits on the Village
of food together. Contact Group. I'll never forget her words to me:
“Aap kehte hain aap kisan ke karamchari hain. Toh yeh
Leading Manvir Singh on Two Decades with India's Dairy bhi batayein, hum bhi CEO hain—apne ghar aur apne
“We Are No Longer Advisors—We are Partners”: Dr.
sapno ki.”
Farmers
1. You often describe yourself as a “farmer's ("You say you are a farmer's employee. Then let me tell
you—we are also CEOs, of our homes and our dreams.")
from the sector, what are the most significant changes That, to me, is the true face of progress.
employee.” With over two decades in the dairy
2. How do Milk Producer Organizations (MPOs)
you've witnessed on the ground? Any farmer
differ from traditional Farmer Producer
story that left a lasting impression?
Grassroots Yes, I say this with conviction and pride: I am a farmer's It's an important distinction. FPOs are an umbrella
Organizations (FPOs)? And how widespread are
MPOs in India?
employee. That identity has shaped my entire
professional life. Over the past 20 years, I have seen the
Indian dairy sector evolve from traditional, subsistence- category—farmer-owned collectives that can span a
led practices to a far more market-aware and resilient variety of crops or commodities. An FPO might deal in
industry. vegetables, pulses, or grains. The goal is aggregation,
Back when I began, dairy farming was a household cost reduction, and better market access. These are
activity—often informal and undervalued. But today, we typically registered under the Companies Act and
Farmer’s Dr. Manvir Singh are witnessing a quiet revolution. Farmers are adopting supported by NABARD, SFAC, and others.
scientific feeding practices, improving breeding through
MPOs, on the other hand, are a specialised form of FPOs
employee Paayas Milk Producer Organisation AI services, and using mobile-based advisory platforms. focused entirely on dairy. Born from the NDDB-
Chief Executive and Director
Village-level chilling infrastructure, once a distant dream,
promoted model, particularly under the National Dairy
is now common.
But what strikes me Plan, MPOs are structured as milk producer
companies—private in structure, but farmer-owned in
most is the mindset spirit. They handle not just milk procurement but also
Context 23 years of techno-managerial experience in livestock shift, especially veterinary care, breeding services, feed supply, and
As India's dairy sector marches toward greater and dairy development, Dr. Singh currently serves as the among women. training.
formalisation, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) — Chief Executive & Director of Paayas Milk Producer Earlier, women were So yes, all MPOs are FPOs, but not all FPOs are MPOs.
especially Milk Producer Organisations (MPOs) — are Organisation, one of India's most successful MPOs, perceived as helpers
emerging as game-changers. Anchored in rural realities based in Rajasthan. in dairy households. As of early 2024, India has over 400 functional MPOs,
but guided by professional management, these farmer- From launching the innovative “Fodder Bank” concept in Today, they are mostly in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and
owned institutions are transforming how milk is Uttarakhand to building high-tech dairy farms and decision-makers, Maharashtra. These organisations have empowered
produced, aggregated, and marketed. They not only shaping dairy cooperatives under NDDB Dairy Services, shareholders, and millions of smallholder farmers, especially women, and
bring transparency and efficiency to the system but also Dr. Singh has walked the talk across the breadth of the even board members are evolving into professionally managed, self-sustaining
place power directly into the hands of smallholder dairy Indian dairy landscape. His academic foundation — of Milk Producer dairy businesses. Success stories like Paayas, Maahi,
farmers, many of whom are women. In this interview, we spanning Pantnagar University, IVRI Bareilly, and IRMA Organisations Shreeja, and Saahaj reflect this growth.
speak with one of the most passionate champions of this Anand — has empowered him to bridge grassroots (MPOS). Some have 3. Thousands of FPOs have been established across
movement. insights with strategic execution. even risen to lead as India—but are they truly successful? Can you
About the Leader Today, he stands at the helm of Paayas, helping CEOs. That's more share a standout example?
Dr. Manvir Singh is more than just a dairy executive — transform over a lakh dairy farmer — many of them Sumitra Devi than change—it's Success is a layered concept. Many FPOs are still
he proudly calls himself a “farmer's employee.” With over women — into empowered shareholders and climate- Dairy Farmer, Jaitpura transformation. navigating their early phases—struggling with
Let me share a story. governance, working capital, or market linkages. But

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