Royal DSM in talks to supply cell lines

The Netherland-based Royal DSM, leading supplier of nutritional and pharma ingredients, performance materials and industrial chemicals, is planning to expand its Indian operations.

The company is in talks with pharmaceutical companies to supply its human micro-organism cell lines for production of biotechnology medicines.

It has also started talks with food processing firms for food fortification programmes.

Feike Sijbesma, DSM chairman, said: "We are partnering with the Chinese government in a food fortification programme. Talks with Indian government for starting a similar programme will begin soon. We find huge growth opportunities in helping Indian companies enrich their processed foods with vitamins," he explained.

On pharmaceuticals, DSM is a leading supplier of antibiotic raw materials. The company may extend its presence in the biotech sector.

"If the market picks up, we will set up manufacturing facilities in the food and pharmaceutical sectors in India. Doing business in the pharmaceutical sector is easy due to the organised nature of the industry. However, the food sector is fragmented and we will have to make long term plans," Sijbesma added.

The company, which has three manufacturing facilities in India, also caters to the automobile and electronic industries. It had announced fresh investments in a new plant for producing engineering plastics compounds in Pune.