India: Patanjali is set to launch its 'Patanjali Mega Food and Herbal Park' in the MIHAN (multi-modal international cargo hub and airport) area of Nagpur, Maharashtra. The plant is scheduled to begin operations on March 9, 2025. The groundbreaking ceremony for the project took place in September 2016.

Why Nagpur Was Chosen

Nagpur, globally recognized as the Orange City, is rich in citrus fruits like oranges, mandarins, mosambi, and lemons. The Patanjali fruit and vegetable processing facility in Nagpur will process these citrus and tropical fruits and vegetables to create products such as juices, juice concentrates, pulp, paste, and puree.

The company has set up a citrus processing plant capable of handling 800 tons of fruit per day to produce frozen juice concentrate. According to the company, the juice is completely natural, without the use of preservatives or added sugar. Tropical fruits will also be processed at the facility.

The plant is capable of processing large quantities of various fruits and vegetables daily, including 600 tonnes of Indian gooseberries, 400 tonnes of mangoes, 200 tonnes of guava, 200 tonnes of papaya, 200 tonnes of apples, 200 tonnes of pomegranates, 200 tonnes of strawberries, 200 tonnes of plums, 200 tonnes of pears, 400 tonnes of tomatoes, 400 tonnes of bottle gourd, 400 tonnes of bitter gourd, 160 tonnes of carrots, and 100 tonnes of aloe vera. These will be transformed into juices, juice concentrates, pulp, paste, and puree, all meeting global standards. This entire process is referred to as primary processing.

Tetra Pack Unit Soon

Primary processing will lead to secondary processing, which involves retail packaging. A tetrapack unit will be set up at the Nagpur facility for this purpose. The company stated that Patanjali products will be offered in the premium segment in tetra packs, without the use of preservatives or added sugar, focusing on the health of consumers.

The plant aims to ensure that no byproducts are wasted. For instance, after extracting the juice from oranges, the peels will be fully utilized to produce cold-pressed oil, which is in high market demand. Additionally, the pulp from the oranges will be used as a raw ingredient for Nagpur orange burfi.

Oil-based and water-based aroma essences can also be extracted from the fruit. Furthermore, the orange peels will be dried and ground into powder, which is used in the production of cosmetics and other value-added products.