OREANDA-NEWS. Cargill today inaugurated a-state-of-the-art wet corn milling plant in Davangere, Karnataka, India. The plant was inaugurated by the Honorable Chief Minister of Karnataka Sri Siddaramaiah in the presence of David MacLennan, Cargill’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Siraj Chaudhry, Cargill India’s Chairman, and a gathering of over 500 guests including customers, employees, local administration, and heads of gram panchayat as well as members of local community.

The USD100 million investments spread over 44.5 acres of land and has a capacity to mill 800 tonnes of corn daily At the mill, corn will be processed to produce glucose and other derivatives which can be used as thickeners, sweeteners and for other purposes in the food and healthcare industry. While the output from the new mill will be largely used for the local market, it will also serve our customers in South East Asian and African markets.

The newly built facility meets stringent global quality and food safety requirements. The plant is built using the latest water management technology that will have zero waste water discharge by treating and recycling waste water within the factory, thereby setting a benchmark for environment sustainability.

In addition, to the local people who will be working at the plant, farmers will benefit from the new local demand thereby reducing inefficiencies, increasing incomes and improving their livelihood in the process.

In its endeavor to help the communities thrive and create shared value, Cargill is focusing on improving the livelihood of 5000 farmers and their families in 23 villages in Harihara block of Davangere District. The wider community will benefit from farmer training, local school enhancements, economic empowerment opportunities created for the women of the farming households and community engagement through targeted interventions in local schools and anganwadis.

In his key note address, the Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Siddaramaiah said, “We are pleased to welcome Cargill in the development and growth of Karnataka. I am confident that the new facility in Davangere will catapult the progress of the district and benefit the local communities as they will have access to new job opportunities and farmers will get world-class training and a new market for their crops.

David MacLennan, Cargill’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, “At Cargill, we are committed to help our customers and communities we operate in thrive. Cargill’s commitment towards successful establishment of our business in India without compromising on ecological balance, employee safety and customer delivery are top priorities for us.”

Earlier in the day, Siraj Chaudhry, Chairman, Cargill India, welcomed the Hon’ble Chief Guest Shri Siddaramaiah. In his address, Mr. Chaudhry said, “I would like to express my sincere gratitude towards the Government of Karnataka as well as the district authorities for their tremendous support extended to us. Cargill has been present in the state of Karnataka since 1983 and has set up four manufacturing facilities in the state contributing to the development of the agriculture and the food industries. The newly inaugurated facility will be no different, and we are looking forward to working together with the government, the local communities as well as the farmers to develop a fruitful relationship.

About Cargill India

In India, Cargill’s operations started in 1987. It has businesses in refined oils, food ingredients, grain and oilseeds, sugar, cotton, animal feed and trade structured finance. Cargill Foods India, markets leading consumer brands of edible oils such as Nature Fresh, Gemini, Sweekar, Leonardo Olive Oil, Rath and Sunflower brand of hydrogenated fats. It also markets wheat flour under the Nature Fresh brand name. The Animal Nutrition business of Cargill provides animal feed and premix and nutrition for aqua, dairy and poultry. It markets animal feed and premix under the brands such as Provimi, Purina, Citura and Cargill. The Grains and Oilseed crush business originates grains & oilseeds at 240 storage locations. It employs more than 2,000 employees working across offices and plants and a network of warehouses and depots.

About Cargill 

Cargill provides food, agriculture, financial and industrial products and services to the world. Together with farmers, customers, governments and communities, we help people thrive by applying our insights and 150 years of experience.