Patna: Thirty-eight years ago, in a small village near Patna, a group of 21 women came together to start something new. They formed the Madhurapur Women’s Milk Producers’ Cooperative Society in Bidupur block of Vaishali district. At first, they brought only 25 to 50 litres of milk every day to the centre. Their goal was simple — to earn a steady income and support their families.
Over time, this small effort grew into a major source of livelihood. Today, more than 350 women are members of the society. Together, they supply around 1,600 litres of milk every day, collected twice a day. This has turned the cooperative into a powerful example of women’s empowerment in rural Bihar. The president of the committee is Pramila Devi, and the secretary is Suman Devi, who has played a key role in its growth despite having studied only up to class eight.
The cooperative has its own building, which was built in 1999 on land donated for this purpose. It has modern machines like an automatic fat measuring machine and a milk measuring machine, making the process fair and transparent for every member. The centre also provides cattle feed, medicines, and ghee at subsidised rates to the farmers. A generator ensures smooth functioning even during power cuts.
This milk centre has become so well-known that it was once part of the Civics lesson in Bihar state textbooks as an example of a successful cooperative. Though NCERT books are taught now, the Madhurapur Milk Producers’ Cooperative still inspires many women to take up dairy farming and become self-reliant. It shows how teamwork and determination can change lives and strengthen entire communities.
