Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday inaugurated the super critical fluid carbon-dioxide (CO2) extraction plant of Centurion University–Gram Tarang Foods. The plant is a social entrepreneurship outreach entity of Centurion University of Technology and Management (CUTM) located at Parlakhemundi in south Odisha’s Gajapati district.
It has an annual capacity of processing 150 tonne of dry ginger with an expandable capacity to 300 tonne per year. The plant can extract flavours from spices like ginger, turmeric, black pepper and clove as well as flavours from kewda, patcholi, jasmine and lotus.
The fluid extraction plant built at a cost of Rs 5.5 crore, is the first of its kind environmentally sustainable research oriented commercial project that will provide backward and forward linkages to tribal farmers of Koraput, Kandhamal and Gajapati and small farmers of Ganjam district.
The initiative is designed to develop local skills, produce market linked products and connect 5,000 tribal farmers of Odisha with international market of nutraceuticals.
This ambitious roadmap laid by Gram Tarang Foods is spearheaded by a team led by Mukti Mishra, DN Rao and Sashikant Tiwary who are the directors of the project.
Debi Prasad Mishra, minister of agriculture, fisheries and animal resources development and Sidhant Mohapatra, MP (Lok Sabha), Berhampur were also present at the inaugural ceremony.
