Balrampur Chini Mills Ltd has outlined a Rs.200-crore expansion programme, under which it will set up a new 7,000 tonnes of cane crushed per day (tccpd) sugar plant and expand the capacity in two of its four existing mills.

The new plant (a greenfield project costing around Rs.150 crore) will be set up at Akbarpur in the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh. 

The company is expanding the capacity of the Tulsipur unit from 6,000 tccpd to 8,000 tccpd and that of the Bhabnan unit to 10,000 tccpd from 8,000 tccpd. The cost of the expansion will be Rs.40-50 crore. The capacity of the Balrampur unit is 11,000 tccpd and that of the Haidergarh unit, which is an integrated sugar complex, is 4,000 tccpd.

Balrampur Chini is currently in the process of acquiring 60 acres at Akbarpur for the new plant, which is expected to be commissioned by November 2005. The expansion at the Tulsipur and Babhnan units is likely to be implemented by September 2005.

With the completion of the expansion programme, the total capacity of Balrampur Chini is slated to increase to 40,000  tccpd, making it largest sugar producer in India, surpassing the four sugar companies of KK Birla Group, which together add up to approximately 36,000 tccpd.