PASIGHAT, Aug 31: In what can be termed as landmark moment in the Agro Industry sector and development of oil palm sector for Arunachal Pradesh, the foundation stone for the first of its kind state-of-art integrated Oil Palm factory was jointly unveiled by Acharya Bal Krishna and the State Agriculture Minister Tage Taki at Niglok Industrial Growth Centre in East Siang district today. MLAs Ninong Ering, Kaling Moyong, Lombo Tayeng and Gabriel D. Wangsu, Dui Gao (Wife Loksabha MP Tapir Gao) and other dignitaries were also present.
Tage Taki informed that the Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August 2021 had given approval to promote palm oil cultivation in the country with a mission to boost the economy of the nation at large. Later, the state government led by the Chief Minister Pema Khandu after series of surveys, discussion with experts and scientists on suitability and future prospect and the prevailing climatic condition and availability of land etc., considered to establish the mill and nurseries in the state besides encouraging the cultivators of assured income and employment generation.
Notably, India is the world’s second largest consumer and number one importer of vegetable oil and it meets about 70% of its need through imports from Indonesia and Malaysia draining huge Indian money approximately one lakh crores annually and setting up the industry in the country will definitely save our money, Taki said.
Acharya Balakrishna while terming the occasion as historic for the state and the nation as a whole informed that Patanjali Foods Limited (formerly Ruchi Soya Industries Ltd.) has signed MoU with APIDFC Ltd, a state government undertaking under Industries Department, for setting up Oil Palm processing Unit at Niglok Industrial Centre.
All necessary approvals and statutory clearances pertaining to the land were also obtained and the factory is set to be developed. The company is the first in the state to import high quality hybrid variety imported seed sprouts from selected identified countries, for benefit of the farmers and employment generation in agro sector can be achieved through such initiatives, he stated adding that such initiative will give impetus to the National Mission on Edible Oil-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) to make India self-reliant in edible oil and also the doubling of farmers’ income. Balakrishna also advocated for making Arunachal as the first organic farming state in the country.
Among others, Jt Secy.(DA&FW, GoI), Subha Takur, Secy. (Agriculture, GoAP), Bidol Tayeng, Secy. (Industries) Hage Tari, Chairman APIDFCL Wanglong Rajkumar, Director ICAAR Ravi Kumar Mathur, DC Tayi Taggu and SP Sumit Kumar Jha were present on the occasion.