Diversifying for Rural Market

Diversifying for Rural Market Hansavivek ATUL PRODUCTS is seeking an industrial licence to manufacture 100 tonnes each of the two herbicides, metoxuron and isoproturon. The company has got a letter of intent for the manufacture of 950 tonnes of isocyanates, which are intermediates of these herbicides. On a reassessment of the herbicide market, the company is modifying the project for the diuron plant. It is still awaiting registration of tetradifon from the Central Insecticides Board. Due to serious difficulty faced in procuring meta dinitrobenzene, the company has started manufacturing it for captive use by utilising the spare capacity of its plants. A plant for making monochlorobenzene for captive use is also being installed. The government has finally rejected the company's application for' the manufacture of DAP. The R and D department translated successfully processes for some intermediates on the hydrogenation pilot plant. The plant for removal of mercury from the caustic soda plant effluent, based on a process developed by it, has been successfully commissioned. The department has developed processes for some pesticides and their intermediaries and the company intends to put up plants based on these processes. The work on improving the efficiency of some intermediates and dyes as well as on developing processes for additional products is going on satisfactorily. The modernisation of the naphthol plant was completed and the new plant has been commissioned. The first phase of expansion of the DCP plant from 1,500 tonnes to 2,500 tonnes per annum has been completed. The company has also made changes in the caustic soda plant to improve its product mix.