ROURKELA: The National Institute of Technology-Rourkela (NIT-R) on Thursday signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with the Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society (ORMAS), Sundargarh for establishment of a mahua processing plant on Thursday.
The plant to process mahua flowers and seeds would come up in Kuanrmunda block of Sundargarh district under the ‘liquor to lifestyle’ initiative for the tribal population which aims at non-liquor value chain development and rural enterprise promotion.
The MoA was formally signed by NIT-R director Prof K Umamaheshwar Rao and Sundargarh collector Subhankar Mohapatra on the institute campus on Thursday. The technical implementation will be led by the Food Process Engineering department of NIT-R.
In a statement, the NIT-R said under the agreement, it will provide comprehensive technical support for implementation, installation and commissioning of machinery and equipment required for mahua-based non-liquor products.
ORMAS will function as the nodal agency for project coordination including fund release, stakeholder engagement, training programmes and monitoring. NIT-R will also undertake process and plant design, development of standard operating procedures (SOPs), quality control guidance, food safety compliance and technology upgradation suitable for community-based production unit with support from the district administration.
The initiative seeks to enhance processing efficiency, product diversification and market preparedness of mahua, a forest-based produce, with strong livelihood potential in the tribal-dominated district.
The project also focuses on capacity building through demonstrations and hands-on training for producer groups and companies to enable large-scale adoption of improved technologies for value addition of mahua for non-liquor products. The scope of agreement involves support for branding, packaging, and market readiness of mahua-based products.
This collaboration affirms NIT-R’s vision in applying scientific and technological expertise for sustainable rural enterprise development and value addition of indigenous resources through structured institutional partnerships and help upliftment of tribal people.