Orange rates up 40% before Patanjali starts processing plant: Balkrishna

Nagpur: Managing director of food and herbal remedy conglomerate, Patanjali Ayurveda Ltd, Acharya Balkrishna, said rates of Nagpur oranges jumped by 40% just before the company began its fruit processing plant in Mihan. Yoga guru Baba Ramdev-led Patanjali group, has built what it claims to be the country's largest juice processing plant.
The facility in the domestic tariff area (DTA) of Mihan will be formally inaugurated in the presence of Union minister Nitin Gadkari and CM Devendra Fadnavis on March 9.
Talking to TOI, Balkrishna said that initially, low grade oranges did not fetch more than Rs 15 a kg, which eventually went up to Rs 18, touching even Rs 20-21 due to the demand. "This indicates that the farmers are dictating their terms in the market, and we are here to buy at whatever rate they demand," said Balkrishna.
Meanwhile, traders at the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) yard at Kalamana said the orange season has been marked by high demand by processing industries.
Balkrishna said the company will also start orange procurement centres to do away with middlemen. The farmers can be assured of a purchaser as the plant will be dependent on oranges grown in the region. As much as 1.5 lakh tonne of fruit is planned to be processed during a single season, he said.
He added that food processing industries need to be given a push to make the farmer prosperous. At present, 80% of food pulp processed in the country is imported. There is a need to push the indigenous produce, as even processing units can be incentivised by the govt. He pointed out that the state govt should also have a dedicated horticulture department, especially now that the country's biggest fruit juice processing plant is starting in Nagpur. At present, horticulture comes under the agriculture department which covers the entire farming sector.
He said it took considerable research and development before starting the orange juice processing plant. It was found that making the juice alone will not be a viable business due to the low yield. So, the dependence will also have to be on by-products like fragrance, pulp, and volatile oil. "We are open to selling the product to the cosmetic industry too," he said.
Balkrishna said there are plans to start a herbal medicine unit on the premises in the coming days. After oranges, there are plans to start processing mosambi (sweet lime) and expand to other produce like mango, amla, grapes, and even vegetables, he said.