AP CM Jagan Mohan Reddy inaugurates ITC's global spices processing facility

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy on Friday inaugurated ITC's global spices processing facility at the Spices Park at Yedlapadu in Palnadu district.

The state-of-the-art Rs 200 crore facility will have a capacity to process 20,400 tonnes of spices like turmeric, chilli and blended spices annually in the first phase.

Speaking on the occasion, ITC Chairman Sanjiv Puri said once fully complete in two phases, it would be the largest spices processing facility in the country catering to customers across the world.

"This plant is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and conforms to all global standards of safe food production to the requirements of global customers. This will be aligned to our philosophy of sustainable and inclusive growth," Sanjiv Puri said.

The facility also has renewable energy and would enable strengthen ITCs footprint in the agri-value chain and empower farmers, he added.

The ITC chairman said they were now rolling out ITC Marts that would be a full stack of agri platform, offering a complete solution at the doorsteps of the farmers.

Noting that ITC has a deep and strong relationship with AP dating back to a century, Puri said they were now working to empower one lakh chilli farmers in the state.

"We have so far trained 27,000 chilli farmers with a land extent of 70,000 acres and their incomes have improved by 26 per cent," he added.

Puri also said the farmers producers organisations, together with digitisation, offered the next paradigm of productivity and growth and would multiply farmers' income.

Spices Board Secretary D Sathiyan, state Ministers V Rajini, K Nageswara Rao, MP Lavu Srikrishnadevarayalu and others attended the event.