The Hindu Business Line : KMML titanium dioxide exports cross 12,000 t

EXPORT of Titanium Dioxide pigment rutile grade by the Kerala public sector Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd (KMML) at Chavara in Kollam district has crossed the 12,000-tonne mark for the first time in its history during 2004-05.

The exports in 2003-04 were at of 7,285 tonnes. Last fiscal, exports to European Union countries had risen to 4,199 tonnes from 2,254 tonnes in 2003-04.

The average export price had also increased by six per cent during the year, Mr K.P. Rajendran, Managing Director, KMML, told Business Line.

KMML had signed a contract early last year to supply 6,200 tonnes of Ti02 to China. In fact, in recent months the company could add 10 more countries including Japan and New Zealand to its export market list, which has now gone up to 33 now, he said.

Hitherto the company had been exporting to 23 countries with South Korea, South Africa, Italy and Turkey topping the list of buyers, he said. The demand growth varies from country to country. However, it is estimated at around 18 per cent in China, he said.

KMML has chalked out a long-term strategy to build up a solid export market spread over several countries, which could absorb at least 50 per cent of its production that is being gradually raised to one lakh tonnes a year, he said.

With the rise in exports coupled with improvement in domestic demand, the company's sales of pigment during the last fiscal have recorded the highest ever figure of 32,153 tonnes raising the sales turnover to around Rs 290 crore against Rs 266 crore in 2003-04, he said.

Profit during 2004-05 is estimated at Rs 65 crore against Rs 49 crore the previous year registering an increase of over 32 per cent, he said.

The grey-gold company, which is the only such unit producing titanium dioxide pigment rutile grade (Ti02) in the country through chloride route, has achieved an all time high production of 30,662 tonnes of pigment in 2004-05, he said.

The company's "de-bottlenecking operations in certain areas" to expand the capacity so as to make its product competitive in the domestic and international markets have already been completed involving an investment of Rs 60 crore. This has raised its capacity to 32,000 tonnes in 2004-05, which would go up to 40,000 tonnes in 2005-06, Mr Rajendran added.

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