ITC Limited has opened a ₹450 crore integrated food manufacturing and logistics facility at Manoharabad village in Telangana’s Medak district.
Spread over 59 acres, the facility has about 6.5 lakh sq ft of built-up area and manufactures ITC’s brands such as Aashirvaad atta, Sunfeast biscuits, Bingo! chips and Yippee! noodles, among others.
It was formally inaugurated by Telangana IT and Industries Minister K T Rama Rao.
Green Building
The Medak unit will use clean energy generated by its rooftop solar energy modules. Certified as a Platinum-level Green Building by the Indian Green Building Council, the factory is equipped with digital infrastructure. About 50 per cent of the workforce at the plant are women.
“ITC has been strengthening its footprint in Telangana across all three sectors - agriculture, manufacturing and services,” Sanjiv Puri, Chairman and Managing Director of ITC Ltd, said, addressing a gathering after the inaugural event.
Paperboard manufacturing
Telangana hosts two of the company’s largest paper manufacturing plants at Bhadrachalam and Bollaram. Aimed at boosting paperboard manufacturing in the state, ITC’s Bhadrachalam integrated unit invested ₹2,000 crore for installing a new boiler technology to reduce dependence on coal and increase the renewable energy share, while enhancing the pulp mill capacity.
“The Paperboards and Speciality Papers business anchors a sustainable afforestation initiative covering over 2.50 lakh acres in the State,” a company official said.
“Our Agri-Business arm has been working closely with farmers in the State on crop development with a special focus on staples like rice, maize, millet and spices like chilli and turmeric,” he said.
The company exports a substantial amount of food-safe spices procured from the State, connecting Telangana farmers with global markets.
Phygital model
Extending digital technologies to farmers, the company launched a phygital (a mix of physical and digital) model – ITCMAARS - Meta Market for Advanced Agriculture and Rural Services.
“It acts as a solution integrator to address farmer requirements. The ITCMAARS ecosystem in the State works with six farmer producer organisations, benefitting over 1,600 farmers. We will expand the scope to reach 15 more FPOs, catering to 45,000 farmers next year,” the company said.