From laddus to oil: Telangana’s Mahua project to expand in Mulugu

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The Mahua laddu enterprise gained momentum following support in obtaining FSSAI licences. The image is used for representative purposes only.

Encouraged by the success of the Mahua (Ippa puvvu) laddu initiative, the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP) is planning to establish three processing units in Mulugu district to expand value-added activities around forest produce. The proposed units, to be set up at Kondaparti, Kannepally and Medaram in SS Tadvai mandal, will focus on extracting Mahua and Kanuga (Pongamia pinnata) oil, in addition to laddu production.

National Mission Manager (NRLM) Killi Jayaram said the cold pressed units would be taken up at an estimated cost of ₹15 lakh. “There is a good demand for both Mahua oil as well as Kanuga oil. Considering this, we are going to set up these units in Mulugu district soon,” he said, adding that a detailed project report (DPR) would be ready in a month.

The initiative is being implemented under the Telangana Inclusive Livelihoods Programme (TGILP), a component of the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM). As part of the programme, Mahua laddu preparation was introduced as a livelihood activity for women in Tadvai mandal.

Highlighting market potential, Mr. Jayaram noted that Mahua (Madhuca longifolia) oil fetches around ₹1,000 per kg. “We can get one kg of oil from about two kg of Mahua flowers,” he said, pointing out that the oil is rich in nutrients and also used in Ayurvedic formulations. He added that tribal communities have increasingly been exchanging Mahua flowers for edible oils in recent years.

Officials said a privately owned cold-pressed Mahua oil unit is already operational at Pasra near Medaram.

Mulugu MLA and Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Dansari Anasuya Seethakka is also keen on promoting Mahua-based industries in the district, while the State government is preparing to roll out a comprehensive Mahua project aimed at converting a traditional forest resource into a sustainable liv