MULUGU: Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao said the state government plans to set up oil palm processing factories in all districts. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy will inaugurate a large facility in Siddipet district this month, he added.
On Monday, Nageswara Rao and Panchayat Raj Minister Danasari Anasuya (Seethakka) laid the foundation stone for an oil palm processing unit at Incherla village in Mulugu district.
Speaking at the event, Nageswara Rao said Mulugu had been a hub for farming since the days of undivided Andhra Pradesh. “I have been a farmer for 40 years and never faced any trouble in agriculture,” he said.
In Mulugu, oil palm is currently grown on 5,000 acres, with plans to expand by another 5,000 acres. He stressed the need for awareness programmes to educate farmers on the benefits of oil palm and horticulture crops, urging them to shift to more profitable cultivation.
The minister also noted that Mulugu district has many tourist attractions, and the government is working to develop it as a tourism hub. The Karregutta area has been developed as a tourist corridor, he added.
‘IT firm to set up office in Mulugu district’
Seethakka encouraged farmers to cultivate at least five acres of oil palm for good returns, and said those with 10 acres or more should definitely take up the crop to avail subsidies. The government is supplying each plant at Rs 25 against the market price of Rs 200, she said.
She also announced that an IT company will soon be established in Mulugu district, with IT Minister D Sridhar Babu set to inaugurate it on August 18. “The state government is providing a permanent building for the IT company,” she added.