Cargill Inaugurates $100m Wet Corn Milling Plant in India

22 Jan 2016 --- Cargill has 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.