KRBL eyes partners to expand rice biz in Africa, UAE

Leading Indian rice miller and exporter, KRBL is planning to boost operations in Africa, CIS countries and the UAE and is looking for distribution partners for the region, a company official said.

The company, which had a total revenue of $317 million for the year ended March 31, said it intends to grow the business by 30% over the next two years.

"We already have a strong presence in northern Africa and the CIS countries, but have not fully tapped these markets and want to capitalise on the huge potential there for growth," said Anurag Potdar, Commercial Head of KRBL's UAE operations.

"We are looking for business partners to build on our distribution network and help us expand in those markets, and this new exhibition can be very helpful to us. We have the capacity and infrastructure to support major growth," he added.

Rice traders from across West Asia, Africa and Asia are likely to visit Rice Dubai 2011, scheduled for November 3-5 in Dubai. The company is participating at the meet, and will scout for partners.

KRBL, which exports basmati rice, is the owner of the India Gate brand. The company recently joined hands with Federal Foods for the distribution of its brands in the UAE.

The company's chairman Anil Kumar Mittal said this week that India, the world’s second largest rice producer, may ship two million metric tonnes of non-basmati rice before March as African buyers look for cheaper alternatives to supplies from flood-hit Thailand.

KRBL is targeting around 12% of this volume.