Interview with PI Industries: Indian agrochemicals to grow 12-14% in FY15

In an interview to CNBC-TV18, Mayank Singhal, MD & CEO, PI Industries shares his views on the company’s order book as well as how the year is likely to pan out for the industry. 

 

 

A: Looking ahead in the next one year the agrochemical business is poised for growth as you have seen the trend over the last few years. The agricultural production and demand is there and the demand for the farmer to put better inputs to get better quality of products and yield is one of its key requirements. If you look at the trajectory, India has been poised as one of the fastest growing markets in the world and I do foresee that the agrochemical business will continue to grow as it has been growing over the last few years. 

 

 

A: Monsoon is something which is unpredictable. So, it is something which is dependent on nature but clearly monsoons do a play a role. But if one looks at it overall, the industry is still expected to grow by 12-14 percent this year even while monsoon had not been at the very best. So, monsoons do have an impact but have a marginal impact in terms of the proportion of growth that maybe expected. 

 

 

A: When we look at the CSM business has been growing very aggressively for us over the past five years. We have been growing at an average compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 25-30 percent and we do expect this to continue and presently PI is sitting on a USD 520 million order book position for which investments are going in place and then over the next two years these revenues are well chalked out to continue to keep the growth pace. 

 

 

A: The order book position is spanned over the next two-three years so it is not about the half of the year but going forward in the half of the year, we are very much on track as per the business plans and I am sure by the end of the year we should be meeting our plans. 

 

 

A: We have about two-three new products which will be launched over the next two-three years in the business and we expect to have at least one product launch in the next year and another one new product coming up in the year after if not two in the next year itself. 

 

 

A: Every new product -- the initial phase as you see there is a development phase of the product so it usually takes about two-three years to get the product out in the market to get any substantial incremental revenues going up. But overall we have already an existing bunch of products which are there which are growing and these new products will definitely add to the growth profile of the company in the business. 

 

 

A: Clearly, Bayer has had a good run, they have been able to do a bunch of good products this year which has given them a substantial growth this year as mentioned. But I think all the Indian companies -- vagaries do impact your portfolio on the crop segment that you are in, do impact the sell and revenue growth and it is not that this business is only growing by new products, obviously the quantum and scale of which Bayer is able to introduce new products very different than the Indian companies hence they have been able to achieve good growth rate but overall as I would say, the Indian companies also have a good opportunity of growth and I do not see that in the long-term this would have any key challenges and generic space is also growing pretty aggressively in the Indian market. 

 

 

A: The farmers are looking for a better solution consistently and any company, which is coming out with a better and more economical solution which is creating value for the farmer, that is what the farmer is looking for. So yield is subjected to not only the product but yield is subjected to many other inputs which go into the production of crop.