ORGANIC INDIA to export psyllium to US

The Times of India,
November 3, 2007

Lucknow: ORGANIC INDIA Ovt Ltd is eying potential export markets and product expansion. The company has recently received orders to export 6.7 lakh tones of 3 blends of psyllium to United States worth, Rs. 200 million. Besides this, ORGANIC INDIA is already exporting 30 lakh tones of Tulsi Tea valued at $ 8 million to $ 10 million to US alone.

"This is the first time that we are exporting psyllium as a value-added finished product, which is certified organic tri-active blend. The country grows 85% of the world's psyllium crop and has been exporting it in bulk since the last many years," said Krishan Gupta (chief executive officer), ORGANIC INDIA, speaking at a press conference in the city on Friday.

Expansion of markets or products is not an easy exercise as supply chain has to be worked out and planned years in advance. We started our basic work 10 years back by creating organic fields in Rajasthan for producing psyllium. This means that no artificial or chemical fertilizer has been used, seeds used are organic in nature. We are growing psyllium over an 15,000 acre plus area in Rajasthan, he said.

An investment of Rs 50 crore was incurred to set up the machinery for processing psyllium.

The range comprises of peach, chocolate and orange flavour with tri-active blend of psyllium, aloe vera and inulin. We have tried to blend health and taste by this. This mix vitalizes and soothes the digestive tract, keeps the colon healthy and provides a heart healthy soluble fibre, he said.

Besides Rajasthan, we have organic fields in Azamgarh and Bundelkhand to the tune of 50,000 acres. Now we plan to go in for products rotation as we need organic chikori, licorice, aloe vera, stivia leaves and lemon grass in our preparations. We also plan to expand our product presence in Australia, Israel, Germany, South Africa, Czechoslovakia and United Kingdom, so we have to further invest atleast Rs 30 crore in the coming two years, said Krishan Gupta.