SPICE LAUNCHES CHILLI POWDER INTO MARKET
Hyderabad December, 4 : The Hyderbad based export oriented company, Spice Commercial Ltd., is all set to introduce high grade premium quality Chilli Powder, under its brand name 'TRISHOOL', into the domestic market on December 5th, 2001. The noted Telugu film actor Mr. Naresh would formally launch the product at a simple ceremony to be held at its corporate office in Hyderabad.

Considered to be the best developed indigenously through in-house R&D efforts, the SPICE has come to stay as the India's first company to introduce ALLUMINIUM FOIL PACK in chilli powder. Announcing this at a press conference today, the company's Managing Director Mr. B.Sada Shiva expressed confidence of filling up to 10 to 15 percent of the demand and supply gap within the next two years. He said the existing companies in Chilli trade are unable to cater to even 60 percent of the market demand as against the requirement of 450 tonnes per month in twin-city alone.

Established in March, 2001 as an expert oriented unit, the company soon got inspired to enter into the domestic market with its export orders touching 8 tonnes amounting to 10,000 US $ to Gulf countries within a span of eight months alone, Mr. Sada Shiva said and added that negotiations are on for further exports worth another 10,000 US $ to Maldives and Dubai. The company is expected to reach an export turn over of 100 tonnes per annum within next two years, he added.

Elaborating the production capabilities, the company Director Mr. G Rajesh Kumar said that the company has major plans in reaching the consumer through its 30-odd already existing distribution outlets in twin-city alone besides settign up another 25 to 30 outlets throughout the state. He said the company would reach its fully installed production capacity of 12 tonnes per day by end of March 2002 as against the present production of 3 tonnes per day. The production turn over is expected to reach over 3,650 tonnes per annum besides achieving a financial turn over of 5 lakh US $ by end of the current financial year which includes both domestic and upcountry sales, he said.

Mr. Mohd Sheikh Basha, another director said that the procurement of raw material is totally being done directly from the farmers within the state as the Chilli produced in our Andhra Pradesh state has a specific taste and aroma than the 20 other varieties of chilli cultivated in other parts of India. Andhra Pradesh alone commands 64 percent of the chilli produced in the country, he added.

Mr. TVG Murthy, General Manager of Spice Commercial Ltd., to a question said that the customers would be offered lower and competitive price.