PurposeMember-owned business organizations, such as cooperatives, are engaged in various economic activities that touch our everyday lives. Sitajakhala Dugdha Utpadak Samabai Samiti Limited (Sitajakhala Dairy Producers Cooperative Society Limited) is a successful cooperative society in the northeastern region of India. The purpose of this case study is to illustrate how the cooperative manages its production and supply chain of milk and milk products and highlights several issues that the cooperative encountered in the recent past and how those issues were managed. This case also illustrates how an agribusiness cooperative has been growing over the years, including expansion of business and the creation of a brand image, as well as benefiting its members and their communities.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used a case study approach where they went for in-person interviews of Sitajakhala's executive members and office staff; in addition, the authors were given access to Sitajakhala's marketing and financial records as well as its annual reports and vision documents.FindingsSitajakhala Co-op provides a platform where individual dairy farmers (most of who are small farmers and many of them are illiterate) can unite to bargain for higher prices for their milk. Due to its member-oriented business strategy, Sitajakhala Co-op has been growing well with active support of its members. Consistent quality control and marked improvements in labeling, bottling and packaging of milk and milk products has helped the cooperative to establish itself as a leader in dairy products supplier in Assam among bulk buyers as well as individual consumers. Sitajakhala cooperative also provides dairy farming related services to its members for free of charge to improve milk production and quality. One of the shortcomings of the cooperative is underutilization of its modern milk processing plant which needs to be addressed by the management in earnest.Research limitations/implicationsThis case study is based on information from one dairy cooperative in Assam, India; thus, the findings of this case may not translate into other dairy cooperatives in India or elsewhere. Nonetheless, cooperative practitioners may find the findings useful from a management perspective.Social implicationsSitajakhala Co-op management was keenly aware of the non-dairy related needs of the community it serves. Some of such services include free medical ambulance service for its members, supporting secondary education through providing merit and need-based scholarships and funding physical improvements to a local high school and a local college. In addition, the cooperative regularly provides funding to local sports and cultural events and local social institutions which have positive impact on the larger community. Sitajakhala cooperative has been providing employment to the local youth in the Morigaon area and plans on continuing to do so.Originality/valueTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first case study focusing on the management and operations of a dairy cooperative in the northeastern part of India. Knowledge gained from such study is expected to benefit not only Sitajakhala cooperative but also other dairy cooperatives in a similar situation. This case study will also benefit senior undergraduate and/or graduate students specializing in agricultural economics/agribusiness and can also be used for executive training for the management of academic institutions and food companies.
Member-owned business organizations, such as cooperatives (or co-ops), are engaged in various economic activities that touch our everyday lives. In developing countries like India, there are various advantages for small farmers in joining a cooperative, including lowering costs of marketing, purchasing inputs, bargaining, etc. Agricultural cooperatives are common in India but studies focusing on member commitment, participation, and satisfaction are not available to the best of our knowledge. Research has shown that cooperatives rely on their members’ commitment, participation, and patronage for success (Bhuyan, 2007; Sexton and Iskow, 1988 and Fulton and Adamowicz, 1993). Therefore, successful managers and directors try to understand their members’ characteristics, values, needs, satisfaction, and goals, among other factors to manage their cooperative business (Bhuyan and Leistritz, 2001). The principal goal of this pilot study, therefore, is to examine members’ participation and satisfaction with their cooperatives in a large dairy cooperative from Assam, India (Sitajakhala Dairy Cooperative Society). This dairy cooperative currently has over 1,000 member-owners and it processes fluid milk as well as limited number of milk-based processed products for the retail markets. We use both parametric and non-parametric statistical analyses to fulfill our study objective. Results of the pilot study shows that a large majority of members were satisfied with how the Sitajakhala Co-op was being managed. Similarly, a large majority of members also participated in cooperative activities and exercised their rights (voting). We also find that member satisfaction and participation were uniform across members’ demographic and economic characteristics.
India has been the leading producer and consumer of dairy products worldwide since 1998 with sustained growth in the availability of milk and milk products. Dairy activities form an essential part of the rural Indian economy, serving as a critical source of employment and income. The dairy market in India reached a value of INR 10,527 billion in 2019. As of 2020, approximately 4.2 per cent of India’s gross domestic product is due to dairy production. The present study was performed at Friendship Dairy and Agro Product Unit of Manipur to examine the product availability and performance and also to investigate the marketing strategies and analyze the marketing channels. Both primary and secondary data were collected for the study The major products of Friendship Dairy are pasteurized toned milk, pasteurized curd, ghee and paneer which are available in different packs and sizes. Highest net sales (Rs. 2,78,78,928.00) and profit (Rs. 5,04,442.00) of Friendship Dairy were recorded in 2018-19. Two prominent marketing channels were identified in the study and marketing channel comprising of Producer – Distributor – Retailer – Consumer was found to be dominant through which nearly 78 per cent of the milk and milk products were moved around the Imphal City. The firm has effective marketing strategies with respect to products, price and promotions, which may help them in running the enterprise successfully for a longer period of time.
Dragon fruit is a climbing cacti and a new introduction in India, also known as ‘The wondrous fruit of the 21st Century’ due to its neutraceutical properties. The study was conducted in Dream Dragon Fruit Farm in Nagaland state of India. To estimate the economics of the farm, investment feasibility analysis was performed. The Net Present Value was found positive (Rs. 2,08,29,478.00), which indicates worthy investment of the proprietor. Benefit Cost Ratio was also greater than 1 (2.04), which also favours the investment. Internal Rate of Return of 11.78 clearly indicates a sound financial position of Dream Dragon Fruit Farm and hence the liabilities of the farm could be met easily during any unexpected closure in future. There is a wide scope in taking up dragon fruit farming and with proper Government intervention can lead to massive success for the farmers and a boon for the whole country.
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