Chivas Regal to be sold in UP

S cotch whisky Chivas Regal will soon be available in Uttar Pradesh (UP). The firm is contemplating setting up outlets and a bottling plant in UP, acting on a proposal submitted by the UP Development Council (UPDC) recently.

A delegation of the UPDC, headed by Amar Singh, visited Scotland and Brazil, to attract investment in sugar and allied industries in the state.

Sugar and alcohol industry groups in Brazil have shown interest in setting up units in UP to manufacture alcohol - both potable and industrial - from cane juice. Alcohol is manufactured out of molasses, a byproduct of sugar mills.

"The UP government has invited Rich Conors, vice-president, Chivas Regal, to visit UP," said Anil Kumar Gupta, excise secretary. He added Chivas Regal was considering a proposal to set up a bottling plant in UP.

The UPDC team also visited the Adrinton group's distillery "Famous Grouse" in Scotland, the oldest in Europe, set up in 1776.

Gupta said Famous Grouse had tied up with the Radico Khaitan group. It plans to set up a grain-based distillery in UP, in three to four months. This distillery will be the first of its kind in UP.

A deal between Sao Paulo-based UNICA and UP Industrial Consultants (UPICO) is likely to be signed soon for the manufacture of alcohol directly from cane juice instead of molasses. Gupta said alcohol production from cane juice was modern and cost-effective. A draft deal has been submitted to UNICA.

The state government has invited Brazil's minister for sugarcane, science, and technology, Maeirselles, to visit UP. The direct import of industrial and potable alcohol is another achievement of the visit to Brazil.

Users of industrial and potable alcohol are importing through a Mumbai-based agent of COIMEX Trading Company of Brazil. UNICA has agreed to export to UP-based alcohol-related units provided there is assured demand for the whole year. Currently, from April 1 to March 31, UP's import is 12-15 crore litres.

Major importers are Gajraula-based VAM Organics of the Bhartiya group; Somiyya Organics of Barabanki; Dhampur Sugar Mills; and K M Sugar mill, Faizabad.

The UPDC delegation included Lalit Khaitan of Radico Industries; Shailendra Mohan, managing director, Shakumbari Sugar mills, Saharanpur; Umashankar Bhartiya, manging director, India Glyocols; and Ashok Chaturvedi, chairman, Flex Industries; MPs Jayaprada and Jaya Bacchan, etc.