Cargill opens first corn silo in Karnataka

The US agri-business giant Cargill on Wednesday unveiled its first corn silo, built with an investment of Rs 70 crore, in Davanagere district, making inroads into bulk agri-storage in India. The silo with a storage capacity of 60,000 tonnes is located next to Cargill's corn milling plant in Davanagere.

"Major population of the local Davangere community is engaged in corn farming. With this initiative, I am happy that local farmers will get more opportunities to sell their produce, making them more profitable in the long run," Davanagere Member of Parliament GM Siddeshwara said after inaugurating the silo. MLA S Ramappa and Cargill India President Simon George were also present at the event.

"This silo expands Cargill's supply chain capabilities in India and the stringent food safety standards followed here will prevent contamination of corn during storage. We are grateful to the Karnataka government for their support in setting up this storage solution here," George said. As the company continues to collaborate with Indian manufacturers to expand its footprint in the starches and sweetener business, this silo is an important step towards ensuring supply of top quality corn to the plant, he was quoted as saying in a statement.

In India, Cargill has edible oils brands such as Nature Fresh, Gemini, Sweekar, Leonardo Olive Oil, Rath and Sunflower brand of hydrogenated fats. It also markets wheat flour under Nature Fresh brand name.