Patanjali unveils Asia’s largest orange processing plant

Patanjali’s mega food and herbal park in MIHAN, Nagpur, has been inaugurated, marking the launch of Asia’s largest orange processing facility. With a daily capacity of 800 tonnes, the plant operates on a zero-waste system, utilizing orange peels for oil extraction.

Patanjali’s mega food and herbal park at MIHAN, Nagpur, was inaugurated on Sunday. Acharya Balkrishna, Managing Director of Patanjali Ayurveda Ltd, had earlier stated that this plant is Asia’s largest orange processing facility.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Acharya Balkrishna, Swami Ramdev, and other dignitaries. The guests on stage wore orange garlands while dedicating the plant.

Acharya Balkrishna acknowledged the challenges faced in establishing the plant, including delays caused by the pandemic, but emphasized that the long-awaited day had finally arrived for local farmers. The MIHAN plant has a processing capacity of 800 tonnes per day.

“Our plant works on a zero-waste system. Our operation starts with orange peel processing, where we extract volatile and fragrance oil,” he had stated. Highlighting product quality, he remarked, “The quality of our products is top class; the whole world market is open for us. But our priority is to provide the best products of export quality to the people of our country.”

He further noted that based on raw material availability, the plant would produce juice from orange, lime, amla, pomegranate, guava, grapes, gourd, and carrot, along with mango and orange pulp and onion and tomato paste.

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev reiterated the plant’s 800-tonne daily processing capacity, emphasizing its potential to benefit farmers. He stated, “Patanjali Food and Herbal Park in Nagpur’s MIHAN industrial area has the capacity to make 800 tonnes of pure orange juice daily… We will use the orange peel to extract oil. This will increase its economic viability… The total cost of this plant will be Rs 1500 crore and Rs 1000 crore has already been spent on it. This is Asia’s biggest plant of juice and food processing.”

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari expressed confidence that the industry would generate numerous jobs and significantly benefit farmers in the region.