AHNFL eyes Rs 500 cr sales by 2010

Chennai, June 14 (UNI) Asian Dhall Industries Limited, a strong player in pulses segment in Tamil Nadu, today unveiled a new logo after re-christening itself as "Asian Health and Nutri Foods Limited" (AHNFL) and announced new initiatives to make AHNFL a Rs 500 crore company by 2010.

Addressing the press here, Company Managing Director K Saravanan said AHNLF which crossed the Rs 100 crore turnover mark this fiscal, has drawn up ambitious plans to expand capacity and enter new categories like ready to cook and eat products in the coming years, involving an investment of Rs 100 crore.

"We are going through a total repositioning, right from product offering to brand positioning to place the already popular Jeyyam dhall brand as Jeyyam Gold in the premier segment," he said adding the company proposed to foray into four platforms, including dhall and dhall-based health and nutrition products.

As part of the expansion plan, the company would open restaurants and retail outlets, besides opening 500 procurement centres, which would help the company establish direct contact with the farmers.

After establishing the procurement centres, the company, would ultimately go for "contract farming." On an experimental basis, it would launch contract farming in about 400 acre of land in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

The company would enter markets in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka in April next, before venturing into other parts of the country, Mr Saravanan said.

The dhall market in South India alone was worth Rs 12,000 crore, the demand for which was mostly met by unorganised sector.

"There is a huge gap between and organised and unorganised players and the company had tremendous potential to grow in the coming years," he added.

UNI