Balaji Wafers to double capacity

Balaji Wafers Pvt Ltd, a Rajkot-based company, is planning to double its production capacity. The company is setting up a wafers processing unit on over 35 acres in Valsad in south Gujarat with an investment of Rs 100 crore.

The company enjoys a 70 per cent market share in Gujarat in the potato wafers segment.

"Our present capacity is 1,200 kg wafers an hour. The proposed Valsad plant will have a capacity of 2,200 kg wafers an hour," said Chandhubhai Virani, managing director.

The company manages two plants in Rajkot. The new unit will cater to the growing demand in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharastra.

"The Valsad plant will be fully automated. We have imported machinery from the US and have invested Rs 50 crore so far. The plant will be commissioned by the end of June," he said.

The plant would also have an R&D centre. "This centre will also research on how to utilise potato waste," he said.

The company, however, is not exploring any possibilities in the exports market at the moment.

"The demand in the domestic market is so high that we are not exploring the exports option," he said.

The Gujarat market consumes 70 per cent of the company's total production followed by Rajasthan (10 per cent), Maharastra (15 per cent) and Madhya Pradesh (5 per cent).