Sumul Dairy Scam: Maharashtra Milk Mixed in Surat Supply

Surat, Gujarat – A major milk procurement scam has been unearthed at Sumul Dairy, one of Gujarat’s leading milk unions, shaking the trust of thousands of dairy farmers across Surat and Tapi districts. The scam involves the illegal supply of milk from Maharashtra, which was being routed through local societies to manipulate records and boost sales — a clear violation of the Amul pattern of milk collection.

The matter came to light after Sumul Dairy Chairman Mansinh Patel ordered an internal investigation when milk collection volumes were found to be much higher than the cattle population in the district. The probe revealed that two directors of the dairy, along with others, had been channeling milk from border districts of Maharashtra into Sumul’s chilling plants and selling it as local produce.

“This is a breach of trust. We procure milk on the Amul pattern and follow strict rules. Some elements broke this system by smuggling milk from other states and deceiving our Federation,” said Mansinh Patel, who also released a video statement on social media to expose the malpractice.

In a startling revelation, 25 milk societies from Mangrol, Kamrej, Mahuva, Nizar, Kukarmunda, Uchchal, Songarh, and Vyara were found to be involved in this operation. Cold milk from outside districts was mixed with fresh milk, misleading the quality check system and duping the cooperative model.

What’s worse is the inaction of the District Registrar and Auditor for Milk, who allegedly ignored a written complaint from a Kamrej member. Critics accuse the official of acting like “Dhritarashtra,” turning a blind eye despite knowing the full extent of the scam.

Darshan Nayak, a member of Sandhier Milk Mandali, strongly condemned the negligence, stating, “The District Registrar and Milk Auditor are fully involved. They’ve allowed fake milk societies to operate freely and profit from Sumul’s system.”

Milk quantity records show unbelievable hikes. In Kosh village, milk rose from 98,000 liters in 2023-24 to 1,00,07,000 liters in 2024-25 — an increase of 99 lakh liters. Similar spikes were seen in Dwarkesh Mandal (Kamrej) and Derod village, with surges of 9 lakh and 13 lakh liters, respectively.

Despite such blatant violations, the authorities settled the issue by imposing a ₹3.25 crore fine, rather than cancelling licenses of guilty societies, raising questions about enforcement and accountability.

Sumul Dairy has since deducted payments from societies involved in the scam and informed the Gujarat Milk Federation for further action.