Bilt hikes uncoated paper prices, FY05 net up 25%

Ballarpur Industries Ltd (Bilt) has hiked the price of uncoated paper by 2 per cent, its vice chairman and managing director Gautam Thapar said on Tuesday.

The hike, operative in October this year, follows the rising demand and the beginning of the season for uncoated paper, he said.

For the year ended June 2005, Bilt's net profit went up by 25% to Rs 168.90 crore as against Rs 133.91 crore for the year ended June 2004. Consolidated net profit for the year ended June 2005 stood at Rs 168.88 crore, compared with Rs 135.04 crore last year.

Bilt's net profit rose 8.5% to Rs 40.52 crore in the fourth quarter ended June 2005, compared with Rs 37.34 crore in the last fiscal.

Total sales in the fourth quarter stood at Rs 525 crore, up by 1.5% , from Rs 516.96 crore in the same period last year.

"In 2004-05, our net gains growth has been around 25 per cent. However, it is likely to be around 10-12 per cent over the next two years following the consolidation phase," Thapar said.

Bilt is exploring pulp making options in countries like Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia, Thapar said.

However, the expansion will only be on the raw material front, he clarified.

Talking about the value added tax (VAT) benefit, Thapar said input costs have come down by Rs 150 per tonne in states where VAT has been implemented.

On the supply side too, the company did get some benefits as the tax ranging between 4-10 per cent is now fixed at 4 per cent.

Bilt plans to raise Rs 10 crore from its tissue paper business, to be launched in October, in its first year and expects the business to grow to Rs 100 crore in the next three to four years.

In the year 2005-06, the retail business is likely to give Rs 100 crore business to the company, Thapar added. Apart from retail business, the other growth driver will be the value additions segment.

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UPSCALE

Bilt has hiked the price of uncoated paper by 2 per cent

Total sales in the fourth quarter stood at Rs 525 crore, up by 1.5% , from Rs 516.96 crore in the same period last year

The transfer would not make much material difference to Zee Telefilms' topline or bottomline

Q4 net profit rose 8.5% to Rs 40.52 crore compared with Rs 37.34 crore in the last fiscal