The Hindu Business Line : Simbhaoli Sugar forays into branded segment

SIMBHAOLI Sugar Mills, a large sugar unit located near Hapur in Uttar Pradesh, on Thursday announced the company's foray into branded speciality segment with the launch of refined sugar.

The company has converted the entire manufacturing facility into an integrated sugar refinery and claims to produce 99.95 per cent pure sugar using latest international technology for the first time in the country.

The company will focus on soft drinks, pharmaceutical and beverage industries apart from selling retail packs of one and five kg.

It also plans to enter the high-premium market of flavoured, breakfast, soft brown and sugar cubes segments, the Simbhaoli Executive Director, Mr G.S.C. Rao, told newspersons here.

About five lakh kg refined sugar will be sold in one kg and five kg packs under the brand name `Trust' at a marked retail price of Rs 25 and Rs 122 respectively for the one and five kg packs, he said.

The Simbhaoli Mill, which has an installed capacity of 7,500 TCD (tonnes crushed per day), will first manufacture raw sugar and the refining process is such that it obviates the need to add sulphur. The process makes the sugar not only free of sulphur, but also other impurities such as ash and fibre.

The company plans to expand the capacity of the Simbhaoli unit to 10,000 TCD by 2007, Mr Rao said.

The company's other unit at Chilwaria in Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh will also be upgraded in due course and its capacity will be increased to 6,000 TCD, he said.

The company produced around two million tonnes of sugar and clocked a turnover of Rs 320 crore during 2002-03. It has set a target to achieve Rs 385 crore turnover during the current financial year.