Siddipet (Telangana), Mar 14 (TNT): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy will inaugurate the state-of-the-art Palm oil processing factory constructed at a cost of Rs 300 crore at Narmetta in the district, soon, said Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao here on Saturday. 
He said the factory constructed under telangana Oil Fed, completed in a record 18 months and “This factory marks a new phase for oil palm cultivation in Telangana.”
He said Telangana government is taking decisive steps to establish the state as the country’s oil palm hub.
Talking to reporters after inspecting the factory along with Minister Ponnam Prabhakar and Oil Fed Chairman Janga Raghavareddy here on Saturday, Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao said “ Built using advanced Malaysian technology, the facility can process 30 to 120 tonnes of palm fruit per hour.It includes units for crude palm oil and palm kernel oil production, a 4 MW bio-power plant, and a zero-liquid discharge water treatment system.
Residual waste from oil extraction will also be used to generate electricity, he informed.
The Minister noted that oil palm is a long-term crop capable of providing stable income for farmers for 25 to 30 years.
He urged farmers to diversify beyond paddy cultivation and adopt commercial crops like oil palm, vegetables, and horticultural produce. Intercrops such as cocoa, jackfruit, and macadamia can also be cultivated for additional income.
Subsidies of up to ₹50,921 are available to farmers, along with free seedlings and drip irrigation equipment, he said.
Oil palm prices have risen from ₹12,000 per tonne to ₹21,546 per tonne, with the minister appealing to the Prime Minister to raise it further to ₹25,000 per tonne.
Currently, around 2.91 lakh acres in Telangana are under oil palm cultivation, involving 42,758 farmers, he said the Siddipet district alone accounts for 14,361 acres and 4,469 farmers.
With India importing nearly 164 lakh tonnes of edible oils annually, 59 percent of which is palm oil, the government emphasises oil palm cultivation as a step toward self-sufficiency, said Tummala.
Ahead of the factory inauguration, a three-day awareness programme will be held for farmers, including demonstrations on cultivation and processing techniques and interactions with experts, he said.
Tummala said the state government aims to expand oil palm cultivation to one million acres in the coming years, boosting farmers’ income and strengthening rural economies, with Telangana emerging as a model for the country.
TNT KS
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