Amul, the cooperative that manages the nation’s largest dairy industry and the former managing director of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) Sodhi, has joined Reliance Retail Ventures Limited, a Reliance Group firm. He will serve in an advisory capacity to provide Reliance Retail with the essential guide to engage with the farmers.
Dr. R.S. Sodhi won’t maintain this job as a regular employee of the company, according to sources; instead, he’ll stay on with Reliance Retail in an advisory capacity. On January 9, 2023, Dr. R.S. Sodhi gave notice of his resignation from the position of Managing Director at Amul, which he had assumed in June 2010. His term as Managing Director of Amul was set to expire two years before his resignation, and the GCMMF board extended it at that time.
Currently serving as both the President of the Indian Dairy Association and the Chairman of the National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship, and Management (NIFTEM), a Thanjavur-based Central Government Institute, is Dr. Sodhi. In regards to his affiliation with Reliance, Dr. R.S. Sodhi opted not to comment. According to the information obtained, Dr. Sodhi would endeavor to improve the system pertaining to the farmers of Reliance Retail. Fruit, vegetable, and agricultural product businesses are included in this.
In March 1982, as a senior sales officer, Dr. Sodhi began his employment with Amul. In June 2010, he was appointed the company’s managing director. Before Dr. Sodhi assumed the position of Managing Director in 2009–10, GCMMF had an annual revenue of Rs. 8005 crores. By 2021–2022, that figure had risen to Rs. 46,481 crores. Amul‘s revenue rose 18.5 percent to Rs 55,055 crore in the fiscal year 2022–2023.
The largest retailer in the nation at the moment is Reliance Retail Ventures Limited, the retail division of the Reliance Group. In such a circumstance, Dr. Sodhi’s involvement with it may prove advantageous for bolstering the food industry, which is crucial for its commercial expansion. Good relationships with the farmer producers are essential for the food industry’s development, and Dr. Sodhi’s extensive background as head of the farmers’ organization GCMMF will assist Reliance Retail in growing this sector of the company.
However, given that Dr. R.S. Sodhi only serves as an advisor, it appears unlikely that he will remain connected to Reliance Retail for a very long time. Additionally, he is connected to numerous additional institutions. An important group that he is aiming to become more active in is the Indian Dairy Association.
