Radhey Shyam Dixit, Chairman and Managing Director, Gopaljee Dairy Food Pvt. Ltd.

What are the breakthrough ideas that you suggest to India in your industry?

We at Ananda, believe in placing our consumers’ best interests at the heart of everything we do and further strengthen our roots with the sole objective to positively contribute in building a healthy and happy nation. Farmers play a huge role in the growth of the dairy industry, therefore, we are focussed in offering a platform of economic independence and giving them a new horizon of dreams, hope, and life. We are educating the famers and ensuring a better/comfortable life for them through veterinary health camps, sustainable livelihood, livestock fodder, etc. We are also focusing on women empowerment through initiatives like their increased representation in factories, farms, retail, and enhanced philanthropy. Not only this, we have set aside an R&D budget for improvement in areas of cattle breeding through artificial insemination, mobile dispensaries, insurance, fodder seed supply, etc. further using innovative techniques to meet the current generation requirements. These are few steps in achieving Ananda’s larger vision of contributing to a healthy and nutritious India.

What innovations are you getting in your industry for a better Indian economy?
We are committed to our Indian market and consumers by creating new facilities to expand its existing manufacturing setup at various locations, strengthening the milk procurement process for Ananda for milk that is purchased from farmers from across northern India. Further, developing a comprehensive system for dairy distribution by setting up requisite cold storage and increasing the number of retail outlets. We are also eyeing a bigger share of the dairy and dairy product market in India and the company is rigorously working towards achieving the projected turnover of INR 1,500 crore by the end of FY18, and the target of an overall growth of 30% with Ananda’s Company Owned Company Operated (COCO) retail outlets. Furthermore, in the background of UP Investor’s Summit 2018, Ananda announced an investment of Rs. 500 crore in the state of Uttar Pradesh (UP), to set up a new dairy manufacturing unit, alongside building capacity for its existing assets and distribution centers in the state.
Define your leadership style and role?
In a span of over three decades, Ananda has grown as a company which is deeply rooted in the belief of ‘one vision, one mission’. Together, we have created a family of employees who have deep commitment and passion to grow Ananda by creating a set of unique products which are affordable and cater to the evolving consumer needs. I have always believed that it is only with collaboration that you can achieve. We all as a team, have a single objective achieve i.e. to deliver consistent international quality dairy products to our customers and position Ananda as a consistent yet economic source of delectable nutrition for the people of India by replicating the country’s traditional culinary techniques on a large scale.
Breakthrough ideas from you?
Ananda has always been committed towards innovative wholesome products. The company is working towards building products which are not only healthy but delicious as well, including Haldi Milk, Lactose Free Milk in poly pack, etc. With one common goal at Ananda, we all believe in introducing innovative and consumer oriented products.
Suggestions for a Better India?
We believe that to make India, a leader in dairy industry we need to collaborate as one and work together with a common motive of making India a healthy and nutritious nation. In order to achieve this vision, we will need to put in our efforts to build the best of practices in India. There is always a scope of improvement in the industry, be it R&D, developing a comprehensive system for dairy distribution, use of innovative techniques and technologies to meet the current generation requirements, etc. We need to continuously partner with the Govt. to improve the infrastructure in India by infusing the right set of technology so that our products remain pure.