The new refinery, expected to be commissioned in the next six months, would generate 50 tonnes of cooking oil a day and double this by September 2009. Initially, the focus would be on bulk sales and by 2009-10, it would be made available in department stores across south.
The company's other two plants are at Alangulam near Tirunelveli and Namakkal. The three plants have a combined rice bran processing capacity of 320,000 tonnes a year. Vaighai Chemical also boasts of having the largest oil extraction capacity in Tamil Nadu.
The bran oil division procures rice bran from over 500 mills in southern districts of Tamil Nadu. Besides, the company has a branch in Sri Lanka, which procures and exports over 24,000 tonnes of rice bran from 200 mills in the island nation.
The company reported a turnover of Rs 135 crore in 2007-08, as against Rs 84 crore in the previous year. For the current year, it has targeted Rs 200 crore and has projected Rs 250 crore in 2009-10.
The chemicals division has a capacity to produce over 7,800 tonnes of potassium chlorate. The company exports around 30 per cent of its production to West Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe. Recently, Japan and the US too evinced interest, he said.
