Godrej Agrovet Invests ₹300 Crore in Telangana Oil Palm Processing Unit, to Employ 700
Godrej Agrovet Ltd, a subsidiary of the Godrej Group, is setting up an oil palm processing unit in Telangana's Khammam district with an investment of ₹300 crore. The facility will be located at Gubbagurthi village in Konijerla Mandal and is expected to provide direct employment to over 700 local residents, the company said.
The Telangana government has allocated 113.5 acres of land for the project, which will include the processing unit, a nursery, a research and development centre, and a seed garden. During a meeting with Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, company officials sought an additional 35-40 acres for expanding the seed garden.
The Chief Minister directed officials to widen the approach roads to the plant under the supervision of the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TGIIC). The state government is keen to promote oil palm cultivation as part of its agricultural diversification strategy.
Oil palm is a high-yielding crop that produces crude palm oil used in food products, cosmetics, and biofuels. Telangana has identified several districts with suitable agro-climatic conditions for oil palm farming. The state offers subsidies and support to farmers under the National Mission on Oilseeds and Oil Palm (NMOOP).
Godrej Agrovet's oil palm business CEO, Sougata Niyogi, along with Godrej Industries Group president (corporate affairs) Rakesh Swami, submitted a detailed report to the Chief Minister on the company's expansion plans in Khammam. The project aligns with the state's goal of reducing dependence on imported edible oils.
The new processing unit will have a capacity to handle fresh fruit bunches from thousands of acres of oil palm plantations. The company is working with local farmers to encourage cultivation by providing planting material, technical support, and a guaranteed market.
Once operational, the plant will process palm fruit into crude palm oil and palm kernel oil. The by-products are used as animal feed and biomass fuel. The integrated complex will be the first private oil palm processing facility in Telangana.
The investment is seen as a boost to the local economy, generating employment and ancillary business opportunities. The project also supports the central government's Atma Nirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) initiative in edible oils.
