The Hindu Business Line : Rallis India posts Rs 2.09-cr net

RALLIS India Ltd has reported a net profit of Rs 2.09 crore for the quarter ended June 30, 2004, as against the previous corresponding period's loss of Rs 17.65 crore.

Net sales and other income from operations was Rs 109.99 crore (Rs 93.94 crore for the year ago period). Interest outgo was Rs 4.50 crore (Rs 10.13 crore), an official statement said.

The company had a profit before tax of Rs 2.26 crore (Rs 17.65 crore-loss). Though the figures for the year ago quarter have been adjusted to reflect the merger of the company's erstwhile subsidiaries with itself, it also includes earnings from the gelatine business subsequently sold in March 2003. To that extent, the two quarters are not comparable. "The company is now very focused on pesticides. During the quarter, sale of pesticides increased by 43 per cent over the corresponding period in the previous year. That has been possible due to the various initiatives taken by the company including the introduction of new products.

"This coupled with a focused approach on distribution and marketing has enabled Rallis to register a strong growth in the pesticides segment," the statement said.