Jogulamba Gadwala (Telangana), Oct 3: Telangana Agriculture Minister, Singireddy Niranjan Reddy, on Tuesday claimed the state ranks first in oil palm cultivation across the country.
Speaking at the foundation stone-laying ceremony for the Oil Palm factory, being constructed by the state-owned Oilfed company at a cost of Rs 200 crore, within the premises of Vijayavardane Oil Mill, Itikyala Mandal, Jogulamba Gadala district, on Tuesday, Reddy recalled the history of the region.
He mentioned that in 2003, the Vijayavardhana oil mill was established on 95 acres of land, primarily for groundnut and sunflower crops. Unfortunately, the factory was shut down before the end of the Andhra rulers’ tenure. Reddy remarked that when the Andhra rulers had considered selling the factory, they might have reconsidered as they had faced a public movement against it.
Reddy informed that, after the formation of a separate state, the Telangana government had paid Rs 8.42 crore under a one-time settlement, out of the Rs 36 crore owed by the oil mill to NDDB (National Dairy Development Board).
The Minister emphasized the government’s commitment to promoting oil palm cultivation among farmers by providing a subsidy of Rs 50,900 per acre. He proudly stated that Telangana leads the nation in cultivating this crop. Reddy also mentioned the innovations in rice and wheat cultivation introduced by renowned agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan.
Expressing his concern, Reddy noted that while the world appreciates the contributions of Indian scientists, they sometimes receive inadequate respect within the country. He added that the factory to be established in Nadigadda would have a crushing capacity of 30 tonnes of Oil Palm per hour, which has been increased to meet the growing crop cultivation. The factory’s establishment is expected to provide employment to 400 people directly and 1400 people indirectly.
