SIDDIPET: While laying the foundation stone for the construction of the oil palm manufacturing industry at a cost of around Rs 300 crore in Narmetta village of Nanganur mandal in Siddipet constituency on Saturday, Finance Minister T Harish Rao said that two more industries were being set up along with the oil palm factory.
On the occasion, the minister said that the Narmetta factory has a capacity to press 120 metric tonnes of oil palm fruits per hour.
Two more factories being set up will convert the remaining husk into fodder for chicken and cattle.
The waste generated from the factories will be used to produce electricity. He said that oil palm has more benefits than other crops.
Harish Rao said that presently, they were importing cooking oil from neighbouring countries and added that Telangana imports oil worth Rs 1.56 lakh crore from other countries in just a year. Adding to that, 19 kg of oil is consumed in different forms every year by a single person. He said that only 40 per cent of the cooking oil consumed is produced in India and the rest 60 per cent comes as imports from different countries.
Harish said food cannot be cooked unless we get oil from Brazil, Malaysia and Indonesia. He said that the country is in this unfortunate situation presently because the rulers who ruled this country did not have a vision. He said that unless oil palm cultivation is done in 70 lakh acres in the country, the import situation would not come to an end. Keeping this situation in mind, the government has been sincerely encouraging the farmers to plant palm oil plantations across 20 lakh acres in the state.
The minister revealed that the cultivation of palm oil can also achieve green revolution in the State.
Earlier, Harish Rao along with Director General of Police Anjani Kumar inaugurated the Sakhi and Bharosa buildings set up near Siddipet Rural police station. Harish inaugurated a children’s home built at a cost of Rs 30 lakh in Siddipet and also named an orphan girl Sreeja.