EID Parry (India) is set to complete its Rs.850 crore sugar mill expansion programme. While the ongoing expansion programme in its sugar mills in the final stages, the company is looking at further expansions outside Tamil Nadu, that is  in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, and possibly in Maharashtra.

The expansion programme in the sugar mills will see its sugarcane crushing capacity go up to 19,000 tpd from the present 15,800 tpd spread over its five sugar mills in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. By end 2008, it will have 90 MW of cogeneration capacity and about 240 klpd of distillation capacity. But a portion of the distillery capacity is likely to go onstream in 2009 after the statutory clearances are obtained.

The distillery expansion includes a greenfield expansion at Sivaganga, where a 60-klpd unit is being planned. This would process the molasses from the Pugalur and Pettaivathalai units, where a distillery is not possible because of environmental issues.

It is also examining options of 'satellite sugar mills' within its existing sugarcane areas to help it to more efficiently exploit the sugarcane resources by speeding up throughput and bringing down transport costs.

Parry Infrastructure Co, a subsidiary, is setting up a 102-hectare food processing SEZ at Kakinada. The joint venture with Cargill Asia Pacific for the sugar refinery, Silkroad Sugar Pvt Ltd, is setting up a 6,00,000 tpa refinery within the SEZ. It will be expanded to its full capacity of a million tpa after it starts production by the end 2008 or early 2009.

Apart from the 43 acres earmarked for the refinery, Parry Infrastructure will soon allocate space for agro- and food processing units within the SEZ. Its location at Kakinada provides scope for setting up a natural gas-based power project within the SEZ.