HYDERABAD: Efforts are on to reopen the closed Beechupally oil mill. National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) has agreed for one-time settlement of Rs 26.31 crore debts and to reopen the mill. If the oil mill is reopened, it will benefit several groundnut farmers in the erstwhile Mahbubnagar district.
The Vijayavardhini Cooperative Oil Seeds Producers Association started the oil mill in Beechupally with the support of NDDB in 1992. Though the oil mill ran very well in the initial years, it started incurring losses after the Centre changed its policy and started importing edible oil from other countries. The then State government finally issued closure orders in 2002.
Immediately after Singireddy Niranjan Reddy took over as minister, he started efforts for reopening which had debts amounting to Rs 26.31 crore. After bifurcation, the oil mill was allotted to TS Oilfed.