Coromandel International Ltd

Coromandel International Limited, part of Rs. 381 billion Murugappa Group, is a renowned agricultural solutions provider in India offering diverse products and services across the farming value chain. The Company business consists of two major segments: Nutrient and Crop Protection. It specialize in Fertiliser, Crop Protection, Bio pesticide, Specialty Nutrient and Organic fertilizer. The Company is the 2nd largest manufacturer and marketer of Phosphatic fertiliser in India. With over 750 rural retail outlets across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Maharashtra, its retail outlets offers agri input products and farming services including crop advisory, soil testing and farm mechanization to over 3 million farmers. The Company has 18 manufacturing facilities located across India. It operates a network of retail outlets across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka and Maharashtra. Coromandel International, erstwhile Coromandel Fertilisers, is in the business segments of Fertilizers, Specialty Nutrients, Crop Protection and Retail. Coromandel International is India's second largest Phosphatic fertilizer player. The Company manufactures a wide range of fertilizers and markets around 4.4 million tons making it a leader in its addressable markets. In its endeavor to be a complete plant nutrition solutions company, Coromandel has also introduced a range of Specialty Nutrient products including Organic Fertilizers. The Crop Protection business of the company produces insecticides, fungicides and herbicides and markets these products in India and across the globe. The company's fertilizer plants are located at Visakhapatnam And Kakinada in Andhara Pradesh, Ennore and Raniper in Tamil Nadu with a combined production capacity of 23.10 lakh tonnes of complex fertilizers, 8.15 lakh tonnes of DAP and 1.32 lakh tonnes of SSP. They market their products all over India through 13 marketing offices and a network of over 20000 dealers and exports pesticides to various countries across the globe. Coromandel Fertilisers Ltd was incorporated in the year 1961, by the synergistic efforts of two major companies of the US namely Chevron Chemical Company and International Minerals and Chemicals Corporation and EID Parry Ltd, a leading business house in India associated with agriculture. Farm Inputs Division of EID Parry India Ltd which is engaged in fertilizers and chemical businesses, merged with the company with effect from April 1, 2003. During the year 2003-04, the company acquired 25.88% share of Godavari Fertilisers and Chemicals Ltd from the Government of Andhra Pradesh through a competitive bidding process. Also, the company acquired 14.93% of the equity capital from the shareholders of Godavari Fertilisers and Chemicals Ltd through a public offer. During the year 2004-05, the company entered into Business Assistance Agreement with Foskor Pty Ltd, South Africa in which the company provides the technical and managerial assistance to Foskor for three years. In May 2006, the company entered into a Share Purchase Agreement for acquiring 50.27% of the equity capital of Ficom Organics Ltd, from their promoters. FICOM manufactures Technical Grade Pesticides at their unit located at Ankleshwar in Gujarat. During the year 2006-07, the company entered into a Shareholders Agreement with Groupe Chimique Tunisien, Campagnie Des Phosphates De Gafsa and Gujarat State Fertilisers and Chemicals Ltd for setting up a Joint Venture company named Tunisian Indian Fertilisers S.A at Tunisia for manufacturing phosphoric acid. The plant will expect to be commissioned by 2010. Ficom Organics Ltd and their wholly owned subsidiary company Rasilah Investments Ltd amalgamated with the company during the year. During the year 2007-08, Godavari Fertilisers And Chemicals Ltd was amalgamated with the company with effect from April 1, 2007. Also, the company set up 20 Rural Retail Centres in the name and style of 'Mana Gromor Centres' in various District Head Quarters of Andhra Pradesh and sold Fertilisers, Pesticides and other products to the rural customers. Also, they provided services such as Technical Training, Soil Testing Facilities etc. through Mana Gromor Centres. In May 2008, the company along with Getex Ocean Trades Pte Ltd, Singapore, formed a joint venture Company with the name Coromandel Getex Phosphates Pte Ltd, in Singapore. In June 2008, they formed a wholly owned subsidiary company, CFL Mauritius Ltd, in Mauritius. The Board of Directors of Coromandel Fertilisers at its meeting held on 22 October 2008 approved a proposal to explore the possibilities of commencing pesticides business in Latin America, including forming of a Limited Liability partnership firm. On 28 May 2009, Coromandel Fertilisers announced that it has signed a Joint Venture Agreement with M/s. Soquimich European Holdings BV, Netherlands, a subsidiary of SQM, Chile, for setting up of 15000 MT Water Soluble Fertilisers (NPK Grades) plant at Kakinada at a total investment of Rs 10 crore, with both the parties holding equal share in the proposed JV venture. On 25 September 2009, Coromandel Fertilisers announced that the name of the company has been changed from Coromandel Fertilisers Ltd to Coromandel International Ltd. On 26 April 2010, Coromandel International announced that the company has entered into a Share Purchase Agreement with the promoters of Pasura Biotech Pvt. Ltd. (Pasura) to acquire 100% shareholding in Pasura. Pasura is engaged in formulation of Pesticides and has a Plant in Jammu in the State of Jammu & Kashmir. The Board of Directors Coromandel International at its meeting held on 22 July 2010 decided that in line with the strategy for the pesticides business, technical grade manufacturing facilities have been consolidated at the new plant at Ankleshwar, Gujarat. Consequently, the manufacturing operations relating to these products have been suspended at the Navi Mumbai Plant. The Board also approved a proposal of expansion of fertiliser manufacturing facility at Kakinada by installing a new granulation train. The Board also approved a Scheme of Amalgamation of Pasura Bio-tech Pvt. Ltd. (wholly owned subsidiary Company) with the company. On 13 September 2010, Coromandel International announced that the company has entered into a Licence Agreement with Shell Research Ltd. for Shell Thiogro technology to manufacture Sulphur Enhanced Fertilisers (SEF). Coromandel would initially employ the Shell Thiogro technology to manufacture SEF at its plant at Visakhapatnam and may extend it to Kakinada unit later. Shell Research Ltd. is an affiliate of Royal Dutch Shell plc., London and the Shell Thiogro technology is developed by Shell Sulphur Solutions, a global business unit of the Royal Dutch Shell group of Companies. The Board of Directors of Coromandel International at its meeting held on 19 October 2010 approved the sub-division of equity shares of Rs. 2 each into two equity shares of Re. 1 each subject to the approval of the shareholders. On 8 November 2010, Coromandel International announced that the company has received a copy of the letter dated 4 November 2010 from EID Parry (India) Limited (Holding Company) informing that it has purchased 2.93 lakh equity shares of the company at Rs 664.50 on the National Stock Exchange of India. With this the total holdings of EID Parry (India) Limited in Coromandel as on date is 62.94%. The Board of Directors of Coromandel International at its meeting held on 18 October 2011 decided to transfer the lease rights in the land located at Navi Mumbai. The Board also approved the setting up of a Greenfield 800 Tones per day Single Super Phosphate plant including 400 Tones per day granulator plant in Punjab. Further, the Board also decided to reward the shareholders of the company by way of issue of Unsecured Redeemable Bonus Debentures on completion of 50 years of operation. The Scheme formulated under Sections 391 to 394 of the Companies Act, 1956 entails issue and allotment of Bonus Debentures in the ratio of one fully paid debenture of Rs. 15/- for every equity share of Re. 1/- each held in the Company on the record date to be fixed by the Board post approval of the Scheme by the High Court. The Debentures would carry an interest rate not exceeding 9% per annum. The Debentures will be considered as a deemed dividend under the provisions of the Income Tax Act. The company would bear and pay the applicable dividend distribution tax on the issue, out of the General Reserves. On 19 December 2011, Coromandel International Limited announced the successful completion of the process of acquisition of Sabero Organics Gujarat Limited. During May 2011, Coromandel had signed a Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) with the promoters of Sabero to acquire their shareholding in Sabero. Consequent to the signing of the SPA, Coromandel had made an Open Offer to the public shareholders of Sabero to acquire upto 31% of the share capital of Sabero at Rs 160 per share. The response to the Open Offer was overwhelming and the acceptance was made on proportionate basis. The open offer process has been completed successfully and consideration paid to the respective shareholders. The shares held by the erstwhile promoters, aggregating to 36.75%, have also been acquired. With the completion of the open offer and the acquisition of shares from the erstwhile promoters, the shareholding of Coromandel in Sabero has increased to 67.75%. Consequently, Sabero Organics Gujarat has become a subsidiary of Coromandel and part of Murugappa Group. Along with its subsidiary company, the total shareholding of Coromandel now stands at 69.10%. Coromandel is very strong players in domestic pesticides formulations market with a vide dealer network, strong brand and farmer preference. Sabero is a strong player in technical pesticides market, both in India and abroad. With the synergies of coming together, Coromandel and Sabero, will be a strong force in the pesticides market both in domestic and export markets and is expected to grow stronger. On 24 January 2013, Coromandel International announced that it has signed a definitive share purchase agreement to acquire promoters' stake upto a maximum of 58.28% in Liberty Phosphate Limited (LPL) at Rs 241 per share. Coromandel will also make an open offer to acquire a further 26% stake from all public shareholders of LPL at a price of Rs 241 per share in accordance with the SEBI (Substantial Acquisition Shares and Takeover Regulations) 2011. Additionally, under a separate agreement, Coromandel has agreed to acquire 100% stake in Liberty Urvarak Limited (LUL) and has also executed a term sheet for acquiring the business undertaking of Tungabhadra Fertilizers & Chemicals Company Limited (TFCCL business) through a slump sale. The total cost of the above transactions is likely to be in the range of Rs 348 crore to Rs 375 crore which includes purchase of promoters' stake of upto 58.28% and open offer of 26% in LPL, 100% stake in LUL and the TFCCL business. All these transactions will be entirely funded through internal accruals of Coromandel. Liberty group is among India's largest manufacturer of powdered and granulated SSP with about 14% market share. The group has 6 existing plants located at Baroda, Udaipur, Pali, Kota, Nimrani and Hospet and is expected to close the year with a combined installed capacity of 9.6 lac MT and combined licensed capacity of 8.09 lac MT. LPL is also setting up a 1.32 lac MT Greenfield SSP unit at Rae Bareli. For the financial year 2011-12, LPL reported turnover of Rs 489 crore and net profit of Rs 54 crore. The combined revenue and net profit for all 3 entities for 2011-12 was Rs 645 crore and 68 crore respectively. LUL also has a holding of 5.10% in LPL. On 21 March 2013, Coromandel International announced that the company has on 20 March 2013 acquired 25.51 lakh equity shares representing 85.11% of the equity capital of Liberty Urvarak Limited (LUL) from the shareholders of LUL pursuant to a Share Purchase Agreement with Liberty Urvarak Limited (LUL) and the shareholders of LUL on 24 January 2013 for acquiring 29.97 lakh equity shares of face value of Rs 10 each representing 100% equity share capital of LUL. Post the transaction, LUL has become a subsidiary company of Coromandel. Further, LUL holds 7.22 lakh equity of Liberty Phosphate Limited representing 5.01% of the Voting Share Capital of Liberty Phosphate Limited (LPL). By virtue of acquiring the controlling stake in LUL, Coromandel has indirectly acquired 5.01% equity of LPL. The total shareholding of Coromandel and LUL in Liberty Phosphate is now 77.42 lakh equity shares representing 53.63% of the equity of LPL and LPL has become a subsidiary company of Coromandel. On 22 March 2013, Coromandel International announced that the company has commissioned the Complex Fertilser Plant (C Train) at Kakinada and the production of fertilisers has commenced. The Plant is capable of manufacturing all grades of complex fertilisers which are being marketed in the brand name of 'Gromor'. A phosphoric acid Plant of Tunisian Indian Fertilisers (TIFERT)', a joint venture (JV) company between Coromandel International Limited and Gujarat State Fertilisers and Chemicals Ltd (GSFC) and Tunisia's Groupe Chimique Tunisien (GCT) and Compagnie Des Phosphat De Gafsa (CPG), (both are Government of Tunisia entities), was inaugurated on 12 July 2013 in Tunisia. TIFERT Plant will consume around 1.4 million tons of Tunisian phosphate rock per year, producing 360,000 tons of phosphoric acid annually. Coromandel International has made a strategic investment in TIFERT aimed at securing uninterrupted supply of phosphoric acid for the company's operations. The Company and GSFC have entered into an agreement with the TIFERT to import all the production of phosphoric acid directly to India on a long term basis. Coromandel International Limited and GSFC hold 15% share each in this 498 million USD project with balance 70% being held by GCT and CPG. The Board of Directors of Coromandel International Limited (Coromandel) and the Board of Directors of Liberty Phosphate Limited (LPL), a subsidiary of Coromandel, and Liberty Urvarak Limited (LUL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Coromandel, at their meetings held on 28 September 2013 approved merger of LPL and LUL with Coromandel through a Scheme of Arrangement, subject to approval of the stock exchanges, shareholders, creditors, concerned High Courts/Tribunal, and other regulators as applicable. Coromandel, along with its wholly owned subsidiary LUL, holds 79.62% equity stake in LPL. Public shareholders of LPL shall be issued shares in Coromandel in the ratio of 7 (seven) equity shares of Re. 1 each of Coromandel for every 8 (eight) equity shares of Rs. 10 each of LPL in terms of the Scheme. The shares held by Coromandel and LUL in LPL shall get extinguished. In terms of the Scheme, LPL and LUL will be amalgamated with Coromandel, followed by the dissolution of LPL and LUL. Tthe Board of Directors of Coromandel International Limited (Coromandel) and the Board of Directors of Sabero Organics Gujarat Limited (SOGL), a subsidiary of Coromandel, at their respective meetings held on 24 January2014 approved the merger of SOGL with Coromandel through a Scheme of Amalgamation, subject to approval of the stock exchanges, shareholders, creditors, concerned High Courts/Tribunal, and other regulators as applicable. Coromandel, along with its wholly owned subsidiary Parry Chemicals Limited (PCL), holds 74.90% equity stake in SOGL. Public shareholders of SOGL will be issued shares in Coromandel in the ratio of 5 (five) equity shares of Re. 1 each of Coromandel for every 8 (eight) equity shares of Rs. 10 each of SOGL in terms of the Scheme. The shares held by Coromandel and PCL in SOGL shall get extinguished. On 25 April 2014, Coromandel International announced that it has entered into a joint venture agreement with Yanmar Co. Ltd., and Mitsui & Co. (Asia Pacific) Pte. Ltd, for manufacture and marketing of Yanmar branded rice transplanters and harvesters. The joint venture agreement provides for setting up of manufacturing facility, initially for manufacture of rice transplanters and combined harvesters. It is proposed to indigenize certain components over a period of time to bring down the overall cost of the products. The joint venture agreement further provides that it can engage in sales and after-sales services of other Yanmar brand machinery as may be mutually agreed between the parties. Under the joint venture agreement the capital contribution would be the ratio of 40% by Coromandel International, 40% by Yanmar and 20% by Mitsui. The estimated capital cost of the project is Rs 40 crore. On 20 May 2017, Coromandel International announced that it has incorporated a subsidiary named as Coromandel International (Nigeria) Limited (CINL) in Nigeria for the purpose of marketing of agrochemicals. On 22 December 2017, Coromandel International announced that it has signed a term sheet to acquire the Bio-Pesticides business from EID Parry (India) together with its wholly owned subsidiary Parry America Inc. USA thorough a slump sale. The transaction is valued at Rs 338 crore which includes purchase of Bio-Pesticides business of EID Parry together with its R&D units, captive plantations and its wholly owned subsidiary Parry America, Inc. The Bio-Pesticides business is engaged in the manufacture and marketing of Neem based Azadirachtin Technical and Formulations, Plant extract based Bio-stimulants, micronutrients, Microbials, etc. and has brands that are well established in India and globally. For the financial year 2016-17, the Bio-Pesticides reported a turnover of Rs 123 crore and operating profit of Rs 24 crore. The Company introduced 10 new products, including two in-house patented combination products during the year 2018-19. On 01 February 2021, the Wholly Owned Subsidiaries of the Company, Liberty Pesticides and Fertilizers Limited (LPFL) and Coromandel SQM (India) Private Limited merged with the Company thru the Scheme of Amalgamation effective 01 April 2021. In 2021-22, the Company launched 9 new products like Groshakti Plus, Makeba, Insas, Magnite, Fitsol Grapes, Accu Mist Zinc, Officer, Finio and Optra FS. It commenced the installation of a new 1500 ton per day sulphuric acid plant at Visakhapatnam in 2022. In FY 2023, the Company developed a nanotechnology-based fertiliser product, Nano DAP, in increasing nutrient uptake. The Retail business adopted a crop focused approach to drive customized crop recommendations and farm advisory. The Company made investments in three AgTech businesses that are pursuing ground-breaking agricultural solutions. During 2022-23, Coromandel Chemicals Limited (CCL) acquired 45% equity stake in Baobab Mining and Chemicals Corporation SA, Senegal (BMCC) at a consideration of USD 19.6 million and also extended a loan of USD 7 million to BMCC for capital projects and expansion to strengthen its backward integration and secure supply of rock phosphate. T he Company infused equity into and advanced loan to CCL to finance the above strategic investment. 3 new products were launched in FY2023 - AcuMist Calcium', Gardina - Soil Conditioner' and Gardina - Growth Booster', the latter two catering to urban gardening segment. A Multi-Product facility was set up at Ankleshwar during the year, which aids the business in diversifying its product portfolio. It launched 5 new formulation products (including 3 novel combinations) and 2 new agrochemical technicals. In year 2022-23, the Company increased its manufacturing capacity of fertilisers by 0.12 million MT and launched a New Multi Product Fungicide Plant at Ankleshwar. 9 new products were launched in domestic market to equip farmers with advanced technologies. In addition to this, 2 new agrochemical technicals were commercialized by Company during the year. Read More