Kaleshwaram project enabled oil palm cultivation in Siddipet, says Harish Rao

Former Minister T Harish Rao said the Kaleshwaram project enabled oil palm cultivation in Siddipet. He highlighted the growth in acreage, infrastructure development, and the upcoming inauguration of an oil palm factory and refinery in the district

Siddipet: Former Minister T Harish Rao said the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP) helped realise the dream of cultivating oil palm in Siddipet.

Addressing a gathering at the inauguration of a Rythu Mela at the Oil Palm Factory in Narmetta of Nanganur mandal on Thursday, Rao said he had visited Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageshwar Rao’s native place in 2018, where he saw farmers in Khammam district reaping rich benefits from oil palm cultivation. He said he was surprised to see many oil palm farmers living in gated community-style villas and owning cars. When he sought permission from the Indian Institute of Oil Palm Research (IIPR) to take up oil palm cultivation in Siddipet, Rao said the institute initially refused, citing low atmospheric moisture in the district. However, when they approached the IIPR again in 2021 after the completion of Kondapochamma Sagar, Mallanna Sagar, Ranganayaka Sagar and Ananthagiri Sagar, apart from taking up Gouravelly reservoir works, he said permission was granted as the water spread area had increased considerably and canals were flowing through the district.

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Rao said the BRS government simultaneously decided to establish an oil palm factory while farmers were taking up plantation. Due to sustained encouragement, he said the area under oil palm cultivation increased to 12,000 acres within two years during the BRS rule. The former Minister said the oil palm factory works were taken up by allotting 62 acres of land, sanctioning Rs 300 crore, constructing a 20-crore-litre pond and providing other infrastructure facilities. He thanked Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageshwar Rao for closely monitoring the works of the oil palm factory to ensure its completion even after the Congress came to power.

Stating that Siddipet now has the second-largest area under oil palm cultivation after Khammam district, Rao said only about 2,000 acres were brought under the crop in two years and three months after the Congress came to power.

Earlier, Council Chairman Gutha Sukendar Reddy, Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Rao, Ministers Tummala Nageshwar Rao, Vakiti Srihari, G Vivek Venkatswamy, Ponnam Prabhakar and others inaugurated the three-day Rythu Mela on the premises of the oil palm factory. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy will inaugurate the oil palm factory on March 22 and lay the foundation stone for an oil palm refinery at the same premises with an outlay of Rs 40 crore.