Guwahati, March 22: Patanjali Ayurved Ltd today started commercial production at its factory at Balipara in Sonitpur district within four-and-a-half months of laying the foundation stone.

The company even dispatched its first truck-load of consignment today itself.

The programme was attended by managing director and primary stakeholder of Patanjali Ayurved, Acharya Balkrishna, Tezpur Lok Sabha MP R.P. Sarma, Assam ministers Pallab Lochan Das and Ranjit Dutta.

"This is a record in Assam of a factory going commercial within such a short period of time," Assam Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation managing director Prafulla Saikia told The Telegraph. He was present on the occasion.

Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal had laid the foundation stone of the Rs 1,300-crore Patanjali Food and Herbal Park on November 6.

Acharya Balkrishna spoke how it was possible to start the factory within such a short time and thanked the government for all the support.

The company has promised to offer their newly constructed approach road to the air force station for emergency landing of fighter jets. It will also install a solar module on the top of its factory, which will produce 7.5MW of power from next month.

Sources said this would give a big boost to others who are planning to set up units in Assam.

Around 75 units with an investment of Rs 6,000 crore will come up by March and a new Northeast industrial policy is expected soon.

The company had to face a tough time when three elephants were injured at the construction site of the unit a few days after the foundation stone was laid.

The production facility, spread across 450 bighas, is expected to create direct employment opportunities for over 5,000 people.

Patanjali has taken up the land on lease from the government and has deposited Rs 13.82 crore towards it.

The company has set a target to create an overall production facility worth Rs 1 lakh crore in the next five years.