The Hindu Business Line : Netafim gets Tata Coffee's drip irrigation contract

NETAFIM Irrigation India, a subsidiary of the Israeli drip irrigation major Netafim, has concluded a deal with Tata Coffee to supply new generation pressure compensating pipes for the latter's coffee plantations.

The `RAM' plastic material pipes embedded with latest technology, fits the tough ground challenges posed by undulating terrain and slopes where coffee is grown. It helps the efficient and uniform use of water to result in higher output and cost efficiency, according to Mr Zvi Feler, Managing Director of Netafim India.

Normally, the drip irrigation pipes are spread horizontally in fields and are designed to have equal pressure to ensure uniform percolation of water.

In the new pipes, which are placed either vertical or at an incline, especially in coffee plantations, equal pressure and flow of water has been worked out, he told Business Line here.

The Vadodara-based Netafim India has also recently introduced another product called `Pravin-G', which is useful in inter-crop of vegetables. Claimed to be low-cost installation, the product was finding encouraging market in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh for the growers of potato, cabbage, banana and medicinal crops, Mr Feler said.

On the company's expansion plans, he said the third extruder, which would help increase capacity production by 50 per cent would be installed and be operational in November. Similarly, two new machines to set up online drippers and double capacity were in the pipeline.

The target is to reach a capacity of 10 crore metres of pipes by this year end and 13 crore metres by end of 2005 in the inline drip irrigation sector.

Necessary investments and machinery had been firmed up, Mr Feler said.

Netafim India is also planning to open a new region set up to extend its operations in North India to cover Uttar Pradesh, Jharkand, West Bengal and Orissa.

Currently, it had presence in South, Maharastra and Central India, he said. The company is one of the important players in the implementation of the Andhra Pradesh Micro Irrigation Project (APMIP).

On the export front, Netafim India hopes to cross the Rs 1-crore mark this year and has targeted Rs 2 crore by end of 2005. Its products reach China, Europe, Israel, Costa Rica and South America. The quantum of export, however, is fixed by the parent company in Israel, according to Mr Feler.