Hester Pharma eyes Rs 2 crore exports

The Mehsana-based poultry vaccines company Hester Pharmaceuticals Ltd hopes to record exports of Rs 2 crore in the current fiscal, while it has projected a turnover of Rs 12 crore.

The company began exporting chicken vaccines to the Middle East and African countries recently.

Hester Pharmaceuticals, which set up its facility at Kadi in Mehsana district near Ahmedabad in 1997, possesses the license to produce 11 types of live poultry vaccines and 22 types of inactivated poultry vaccines.

It achieved sales of Rs 7.6 crore in the fiscal ended March 31, 2004, and now aims at a turnover of Rs 12 crore in the current fiscal.

"Hester forayed into the exports market about a year ago. As registrations and other procedures are difficult in the US and European countries, we have sought to enter the Middle East and African markets. The company expects sales of at least Rs 2 crore from a projected turnover of Rs 12 crore this fiscal, which will be a huge jump as far as exports are concerned," said Rajiv Gandhi, managing director, Hester Pharmaceuticals.

He said Hester is the only Indian company to export poultry vaccines even as almost all major poultry vaccine manufacturing companies are based either in Europe or the US.

"The company will have an almost level playing field in the Middle East and African markets as far as poultry vaccines are concerned.

It is perhaps not possible for a relatively small company to enter the US or European markets. Instead, Hester is looking to expand its presence in more African and Middle East countries," Gandhi said.

Hester, on an equity base of Rs 3.53 crore, reported a turnover of 7.6 crore in 2003-04, up from sales of Rs 4.4 crore in the previous year.

Its profit before tax grew from Rs 0.67 crore in the fiscal 2002-03 to Rs 1.95 crore in the 2003-04 fiscal, a growth of 191 per cent.

According to Gandhi, the company has its sales offices in almost all parts of the country, and has appointed distributors in those areas where it does not have a presence.

"We have covered almost the entire country and now look to expand our presence beyond India," he said.

Gandhi added that since immunisation of birds is important and delays can cause heavy damage to poultry farm owners, the company has direct contacts with most of the clients.