Kerala Supplyco targets Rs 5,000-cr turnover by '15-16

The Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation (Supplyco) has set a target of Rs 5,000-crore turnover by 2015-16. To achieve this, the corporation has chalked out a mega plan that includes opening of more hyper markets, fair price shops and a slew of consumer products under its popular brand, Sabari.

For 2012-13, the total turnover increased to Rs 3,105-crore when compared with Rs 2,630-crore in 2011-12 and Rs 2,228-crore in 2010-11.

The corporation, currently having 90 medical shops and five distribution centres, with a monthly turnover of Rs 5.2-crore, plans to open 27 new medical stores. Most of the proposed stores will be opened in the northern part of Kerala, with 10 each in Kozhikode and Palakkad districts. Ernakulam district will have 4 such stores and Kottayam will get 3 stores, a press release said.

The corporation's new hyper markets that provide an international shopping experience, will soon be operational, it said. Five such markets are being set up in Karunagappally (Kollam), Thiruvalla (Kottayam), Piravam, Koothattukulam (Ernakulam) and in Kollam. These hyper markets will be operated with the active participation of the local self-government bodies. Construction of the one at Piravam will be completed by September 2014.

Supplyco will also launch a bunch of FMCG products under its popular brand Sabari. Essential products like rice powder, sambar and rasam powder, chicken masala, coffee, atta, fortified salt, rice bran oil and low-sodium salt, etc will be launched soon. Sabari Atta will be re-launched in fresh three layer packs and the tea packing centre at Kochi will be modernised, the release said.

As part of its pruning expenditure, it has planned to reduce expense incurred on power consumption by setting up solar power plants. As part of this, it will set up such a power plant at its head quarters in Kochi. The release added the corporation's power consumption stands at 18,000 units per month at its headquarter and hyper market in Kochi.