The food processing sector in Telangana received a boost with the ITC commencing a state-of-the-art integrated food manufacturing and logistics facility at Medak on Monday, January 30. Spread over nearly 59 acres of land, this food processing facility with a built up area of 6.5 lakh sq ft entails an initial investment outlay of Rs 450 crore.

The facility will be producing ITC's foods brands, including Aashirvaad atta, Sunfeast biscuits, Bingo chips and Yippee Noodles, among others, in phases.

Telangana's Minister for Industries and Commerce, K T Rama Rao, inaugurated the facility in the presence of ITC Chairman and Managing Director, Sanjiv Puri. Puri said that ITC continues to strengthen its footprint in agriculture, services and manufacturing sectors.

Stating that Telangana is a hub for the company's paperboard business, he pointed out that ITC has India's largest paperboard facility at Bhadrachalam. Puri said, "Hyderabad is also host to two of our finest luxury hotels, ITC Kakatiya and ITC Kohinoor."

He said when the second phase of the manufacturing facility at Medak is completed, it will have a total built up area of a million square feet. The plant will create job opportunities across sustainable agri-value chains. 

The Medak unit will be powered by clean energy generated by its rooftop solar energy modules. Certified as a platinum-level green building by the Indian Green Building Council, the factory also features a scientifically designed rainwater harvesting system, ensuring maximum conservation and reduced reliance on groundwater and thereby considerably reducing the unit's impact on the environment.

The workforce composition at the Medak facility will be in line with ITC's endeavour towards scaling up women participation, with this facility employing 50 per cent women at an overall factory level.

Rama Rao said that the government is setting up special food processing zones in 10,000 acres of land, adding that one such zone over 1,400 acres is coming up in Gajwel.