DuPont eyes India's core sector

Multi-national giant DuPont is planning to enter India's infrastructure industry in a big way besides expanding its agriculture seed and coating and colour technologies business in the country, its chief executive said on Wednesday.

"India has been our traditional base where we have been trying to enter the coating technology market in a big way. Now, the infrastructure sector was opening up and we would also be keen to register our presence," DuPont chairman and chief executive officer Chad Holliday told PTI Nagoya, Japan.

Over 30 per cent of DuPont's volume came from businesses whose plants set volume records for the year 2003-04. During the last fiscal the company had registered $27,40 million as net sales.

"The company registered 32 per cent and 35 per cent growth in Greater China and Eastern Europe during the last fiscal. In most of the emerging markets we have an established and respected presence. As such we can leverage new growth naturally and efficiently," DuPont corporate vice-president for Greater China Thomas G Powell told PTI.

Later briefing visiting reporters, Holliday said DuPont's market in China was around $1 billion.

Referring to the company's achievements in the agricultural seed sector, Holliday recalled that Indian farmers were amazed at the results on utilising Indoxcarb, a branded cotton insecticide. "Similarly in Argentina we helped farmers fight Asian Soyabean Rust, a devastating new disease with our best-in-class fungicide Flusilazole," company vice-president Uma Chowdhry told PTI.

Powell said the company earned 42 per cent of its revenue from USA, 28 per cent from Europe and 17 per cent from Asia.

Chowdhry pointed out that some construction companies had contacted DuPont for using one of its materials for constructing roads under Golden Quadrilateral and National Highway Development Project.