Amul and IFFCO have secured the top two positions in the International Cooperative Alliance’s World Cooperative Monitor 2025 rankings, underscoring the global impact of India’s cooperative ecosystem. Their rise reflects the strength of collective enterprise models that integrate millions of small producers into organised value chains while maintaining local ownership and community-driven governance. This global recognition highlights the continued relevance of cooperatives in building inclusive, resilient, and scalable enterprise systems.
The International Cooperative Alliance’s World Cooperative Monitor 2025 has placed two Indian institutions—Amul (GCMMF) and IFFCO—at the very top of its global cooperative rankings. Amul secured the number one position while IFFCO followed closely at number two, marking a significant milestone for Asia’s cooperative sector and reaffirming the global competitiveness of India’s community-owned enterprise models. The ranking uses a methodology based on turnover relative to GDP per capita, a metric designed to capture the relative economic weight and societal impact of cooperative enterprises rather than their absolute revenue scale.
This recognition arrives at a moment when small producers, micro-enterprises, and rural communities across developing regions continue to face structural constraints—particularly in finance, market access, and bargaining power. In such contexts, cooperatives provide a robust institutional alternative, delivering economies of scale, collective risk-sharing, and democratic governance structures that often outperform fragmented small-holder approaches.
A Model Rooted in Local Participation
Amul’s ascent to the top is grounded in a highly decentralised network of 18,600 village-level dairy cooperatives, representing nearly 3.6 million milk producers. The cooperative structure allows dispersed producers to aggregate output, negotiate better market prices, and access processing and distribution systems that would otherwise be unavailable to micro dairy farmers operating individually. Its ability to integrate millions of small producers into organised value chains distinguishes Amul from many global competitors.
Similarly, IFFCO—supported by 35,000 member cooperatives and reaching nearly 50 million farmers—demonstrates the potential of cooperative institutions to serve agricultural input markets at industrial scale. By pooling demand from millions of farmers, IFFCO ensures stable access to fertilisers, introduces technology interventions efficiently, and maintains price stability in a sector often vulnerable to supply chain shocks.
Collective enterprise models enable scale while preserving local ownership.
Amul and IFFCO’s performance underscores a broader theme relevant to the SME ecosystem: collective enterprise structures can deliver scale without compromising local ownership. This is particularly important in contexts where micro and small enterprises struggle with:
- lack of formal collateral
- inconsistent cash flows
- limited negotiating capacity
- information asymmetry in pricing and procurement markets
Cooperatives offer a mechanism through which small producers can participate in markets with enhanced bargaining power and improved access to finance and technology. Their success also provides a template for building inclusive business models that strengthen community-based entrepreneurship.
These achievements are also relevant for the future architecture of enterprise development in agricultural and rural sectors. At a time when supply chains face climate-related disruptions and input markets are experiencing volatility, cooperative systems display resilience by virtue of their decentralised networks and member-driven governance.
A Case for Renewed Policy Attention
India’s cooperative success story suggests the need for a renewed policy conversation on how cooperative principles can be applied across emerging segments—such as digital services, artisanal enterprises, local food processing, and renewable energy micro-grids. For SME development frameworks, the cooperative model offers advantages that conventional credit-led or purely private-sector models often fail to capture, particularly for informal or grassroots entrepreneurs.
The recognition of Amul and IFFCO by the ICA also reinforces the importance of public systems that support collective institutions—from capacity building and digital platforms to governance reforms and financial inclusion mechanisms. As governments across Asia, Africa, and Latin America explore new strategies for inclusive enterprise growth, the Indian example demonstrates how cooperatives can integrate small producers into national and global value chains without sacrificing local autonomy.
Amul and IFFCO’s top global rankings are more than institutional achievements; they represent the growing maturity of India’s cooperative architecture. Their success affirms that community-owned enterprises can operate at world-class efficiency, create sustainable livelihoods, and reshape rural economies at scale. For the broader SME discourse, these cooperatives stand as evidence that inclusive models—rooted in local participation and collective governance—remain essential for resilient and equitable economic development
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