HYDERABAD: An ancient form of preparing edible oils which had gone extinct, is now seeing a revival. The demonstration of bull-driven ‘ghana’ (wood-pressed oil) production by the farmers of Gandeed mandal of Mahbubnagar district caught the attention of many, at the week-long book exhibition organised by Telangana Sahitya Academy, Telangana Book Trust and Gandhi Global Foundation, which was inaugurated by Sports Minister V Srinivas Goud on Tuesday.
Three years ago, Srinivas Reddy and Basavaraj, both residents of Jaklapally village, who were inspired by Rajeev Dixit and Dr Khadar Valli’s teachings, established a wood-pressed oil-making unit in their village, so that they could meet the nutritional requirements of the village.
Presently, they are producing oil out of groundnut, safflower, sesame, mustard and coconut. They have trained more than 400 farmers on how to make a decent livelihood and save people’s health by producing healthy oils devoid of adulteration. The trainees have already established 30 units in various districts, which is expected to reach 60 units soon.
“These oils are extracted with only 2-3 repetitions per minute processing, which retains the nutrients. These are otherwise lost in machine-driven methods, where high temperature is used for processing. Our products are rich in vitamins, and essential fats, and can treat various diseases like Parkinson's, fits, paralysis, Alzheimer's, high blood pressure and diabetes among others, depending on the oil consumed,” Basavaraju tells Express, adding that it helps save bulls from being sent to slaughter-houses.
“On top of these benefits, it is zero-pollution, boosts rural economy, empowers the rural community and helps achieve self-reliance in oil production if taken-up on a large-scale,” adds Srinivas Reddy.