Nizamabad: Lakkampally SEZ may get oil palm processing unit

For the proposed factory, govt adviser P. Sudarshan Reddy, along with Nizamabad rural MLA R. Bhupati Reddy, in-charge Collector Bhavesh Mishra, and other senior officials, inspected sites adjoining the Lakkampally SEZ in Nandipet mandal.

Nizamabad: An oil palm processing factory in Nizamabad district would benefit farmers and generate new employment opportunities, Telangana government adviser P. Sudarshan Reddy said on Wednesday, September 30.

For the proposed factory, Reddy, along with Nizamabad rural MLA R. Bhupati Reddy, in-charge Collector Bhavesh Mishra, and other senior officials, inspected sites adjoining the Lakkampally SEZ in Nandipet mandal, according to the Deccan Chronicle.

They said the location, while being within 50 kms of the neighbouring Nirmal district, could also accommodate a refinery in the future, making it best-suited.

Directing officials to submit a detailed report on the site, Reddy said agriculture minister Tummala Nageswara Rao was ready to lay the foundation stone.

He also urged farmers to take up oil palm cultivation, adding that the government was providing support for the crop. He said they would also try to establish rice bran oil and soybean industries in the Lakkampally SEZ.

He said the state was exploring successful organic vegetable farming models from Madhya Pradesh with a view to adapting them locally. Reddy also urged farmers to use water judiciously in view of the deficient rainfall and consider cultivating crops requiring less water instead of paddy during the upcoming yasangi season.