Modi to address farmers’ meet, inaugurate Amul unit on Saturday

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a farmers’ rally in Banaskantha district and also inaugurate a cheese factory of dairy major Amul during his day-long visit to Gujarat on Saturday.

He will also pay a visit to State BJP headquarters in Gandhinagar district in the afternoon, his first trip there after assuming the top office in May 2014. “A rally of farmers and cooperative movement activists will be addressed by the Prime Minister tomorrow in Deesa town of Banaskantha district. We expect over two lakh people at the rally,” Gujarat BJP spokesperson Bharat Pandya said. The PM will inaugurate a new Amul cheese factory at Banas Dairy in Banaskantha district and also launch ‘Amul Deshi’ A2 cow milk, said a statement from Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF).

The factory has been built with an investment of Rs 350 crore and uses cutting-edge cheese-making technology, said GCMMF, which manages the popular Amul brand. The ‘Amul Deshi’ A2 product, to be sold in Ahmedabad initially, is aimed at consumers seeking pure cow milk from indigenous breeds. It is priced at Rs 35 per 500 ml bottle. In a statement, GCMMF Managing Director R S Sodhi said, “This A2 cow milk will be procured from indigenous cows and made available in 500 ml bottles through Amul parlours in the Ahmedabad city.”

After his programme in Deesa, Modi will visit state BJP headquarters at Koba Ain Gandhinagar, where he will interact with local party leaders, Pandya said. “The Prime Minister will be coming for the first time to State BJP headquarters after assuming office. This was the place from where he ran the campaign for 2014 elections.” This is the fifth visit of the Prime Minister to his home state, which will go to polls in the second half of 2017, in the last six months.