Industries and IT Minister K.T.Rama Rao at the ground-breaking ceremony for Godrej Agrovet’s facility in Khammam on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: Arrangement
The Godrej Group, which broke ground on Saturday for a ₹300-crore integrated palm oil complex in Khammam district, is considering investing in dairy, pharma, personal care products, furniture, real estate, retail, poultry, animal feed and aquaculture in the State.
“Telangana is all set to become a new home for the group. The ground-breaking for the palm oil factory in Khammam is the first of many investments in diverse areas such as dairy, animal feed, retail, real estate, FMCG and more that we are working closely together on,” said Industries and IT Minister K.T.Rama Rao, who along with senior leadership of the group, participated in the function of Godrej Agrovet.
“We are fostering a deep relationship across many sectors,” he said, adding the investment announcements will follow once the discussions conclude. The Minister highlighted Telangana’s oil palm mission that aims to bring 20 lakh acres under cultivation across the State. It will improve income for more than 5 lakh farm households and generate employment opportunities for 2.3 lakh people.
“Telangana will become the largest oil palm producing State in India overtaking Andhra Pradesh in the coming 1-2 years. Apart from being the rice bowl of the nation, Telangana will also become the largest edible oil producer in India,” he said.
On the facility Godrej Agrovet will set up in Khammam, Mr.Rama Rao office, in a release, said it be a world-class edible oil processing complex with India’s first commercial seed garden bringing top-end plant genetics to India. A nursery with a capacity to nurture 5 lakh saplings is also to be established.
The ₹300-crore investment proposed is to be made over 3-4 years and the facility will support 50,000 farmers and generate employment for 2,000 people in the region.
Godrej Agrovet said the integrated complex will consist of a crude palm oil mill along with provision to set up a refinery in near future. A nursery with a capacity of up to 7 lakh saplings per year in addition to the seed production and research unit will also be established.
“We intend to handhold oil palm farmers by providing them access to quality seedlings and nursery. It will be our honour to set up the country’s first integrated palm oil complex in Telangana,” GAVL managing director Balram Singh Yadav said.
