Union Minister Amit Shah will be laying the foundation stone of Kribhco’s first ethanol plant at Hazira, Surat today (Wednesday). The entire board of Kribhco led by its Chairman Dr Chandra Pal Singh Yadav are there to welcome Shah. NCUI President Dileep Sanghani has also arrived at Surat to welcome the Minister.
Shah, who had to postpone this event due to floods in the past, would be accompanied by the state Chief Minister. Shah will first attend Vishwa Hindi Diwas event at a stadium in Surat before coming to Kribhco function. Kribhco co-operators including Bijender Singh, Paresh Patel, Sunil Singh and others have already arrived at Hazira.
It bears recall that the second largest fertilizer cooperative of India- Krishak Bharati Cooperative Limited (Kribhco) is diversifying its business into other allied activities and in this regard the fertilizer cooperative has made a subsidiary company namely-Kribhco Green Energy Private Limited.
Through this subsidiary company, Kribhco will set up an Ethanol Plant in three different places in India. The first ethanol plant is being set up at Hazira in Surat district of Gujarat at the hands of Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah.
Though this event was scheduled for the month of June, due to heavy rains and floods, it could not be done, said Kribhco Chairman Chandra Pal Singh in an informal communication with Indian Cooperative at his Noida office.
The second ethanol will be established at Krishnapatnam in Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh and the third would be set up in Karimnagar district of Telangana, Yadav added.
Kribhco Chairman who doubles as the International Cooperative Alliance-Asia and Pacific President further said, “Each ethanol plant will be set up at a cost of Rs 350 crore and around Rs 1000 crore will be spent for the establishment of three ethanol plants at the said places. And, it will be operational by the end of this year”, he claimed.
“Interestingly, for setting up the plants we are not depending on foreign technology and we will purchase it from India only. Kribhco will buy rice, corn and other crops directly from the farmers. Rice straw can be converted to ethonal”, Yadav informed.
It is being said, the plant at Andhra Pradesh will be set up on 100 acres and would employ 400 people. The plant capacity is 250 KLD. Besides, in February later this year, Kribhco submitted an environment clearance application for 250 KLPD gran distillery/Ethanol plant at Hazira purely for blending in petrol only.
Readers would recall that several rounds of talks and discussions with the concerned Ministers of respective states in this context have already been done.