Amul a bigger brand than HUL: Sodhi

Kolkata: Amul is a bigger brand than Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) Limited managing director R S Sodhi said here on Saturday.

Sodhi, who was here to announce the official sponsorship of the New Zealand cricket team, said that Amul, a brand wholly owned by GCMMF, is also sold by 18,000 village cooperative societies outside the formal distribution channel in Gujarat.

"If that is taken is taken into account, the sales turnover of Amul is over Rs 38,000 crore, including the GCMMF revenue of Rs 27,000 crore," Sodhi told reporters here.

In its latest initiative Amul is planning to expand its chocolate production capacity by five times involving a cost of Rs 150 crore, he said.

GCMMF is also coming up with five new integrated plants in Gujarat, Mumbai, Pune and West Bengal, Sodhi said adding that the annual capital expenditure was Rs 800 crore.

Sodhi said there were also plans to enter the markets of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Setting a target of Rs 50,000 crore sales by 2021, Sodhi said that milk production volumes would be increased by 14 percent yearly with a price increase of six to seven percent.