City-based NSL Sugars today said its Rs 350-crore integrated sugar plant, Krishnaveni Sugars, set up at Mahabubnagar near here had started operations.
The NSL group, known as Nuziveedu Seeds, has set up the greenfield project, which comprises a sugar unit with a capacity of 3,500-tonne crushing per day, a 28-Mega watt cogeneration power plant and a 45-kilolitre per day capacity fuel grade ethanol plant. The company funded the project through a mix of internal accruals and debt, according to a release.
“From our humble beginning in the sugar business in 2003, we are now one of the biggest players in south India. This greenfield project is a stepping stone for us to realise our vision to become a major player in the country,” M Prabhakar Rao chairman of NSL Group, said. It has plans to expand the capacity of the sugar unit to 5,000 tcd in the near future. With the new plant, the company expects its sugar business to achieve a turnover of Rs 550 crore this year.
According to Hari Valurupaly, joint managing director of NSL Sugars Limited, the plant with mill max crushers and raw sugar process equipment is one of India’s most modern sugar plants. NSL already has three plants operating in Karnataka with a total sugarcane capacity of 9,000 tcd. The group has presence across sectors like seeds, cotton, power, textile and infrastructure.