Date:24/02/2005 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/02/24/stories/2005022402870400.htm

Back Dabur to export fruit pulp to Europe

Pratim Ranjan Bose

Kolkata. Feb. 23

HAVING set foot in Australia, Maldives and parts of West Asia, Dabur Foods is set to export fruit pulp and concentrate in bulk form to several European blenders beginning this summer.

Talking to Business Line, head of marketing of the company, Mr Sanjay Sharma, said that the company had identified a few foreign blenders for bulk exports of fruit pulp and concentrates. "The supply agreements will be signed close to the procurement season during the summer." It is learnt that the company has been in negotiations with several European blenders such as Doleh, Orana, Wild and others.

Talking on the performance of the current year, he said that the company was set to register a `modest' export turnover of Rs 5 crore in the current fiscal. Exports were set to register a sharp growth in the next fiscal as the company had been successful in establishing the contacts, especially in Australia, Maldives and West Asia.

In Australia, the company is marketing its branded products through the Woolsworth retail chain.

On the performance of its newly commissioned processing plant at Siliguri in West Bengal, Mr Sharma said, "The venture was on a learning curve during the first year of operations."

Having gone on stream in August 2004, the plant missed most of the procurement season and will be producing close to 1,000 tonnes of fruit pulp or concentrate worth Rs 5 crore by the end of 2004-05.

On the overall performance, he said that the company was confident of registering high growth in net profit, from Rs 1.5 crore in 2003-04 to Rs 5 crore this fiscal.

Dabur Foods registered its first profit during the last fiscal after being in the red for four years. The company has an accumulated loss of Rs 21 crore.