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Satnam to set up basmati plant in UK

Satnam Overseas Limited, manufacturer of the world famous Kohinoor brand basmati rice, is setting up a processing plant in the United Kingdom in April 2000.

Satnam's vice-president Bushan Arora said in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, that the company, was setting up the plant since the UK government was imposing 500 pounds customs duty on per tonne of processed basmati rice. The company already has three state-of-the-art factories in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi with machinery imported from Canada and Japan.

Satnam exports basmati rice to South Africa, the United States, Canada, Singapore and the Gulf countries, besides the UK, and commands 20 per cent of the international market share and 60 per cent in the domestic market with more sales in Maharashtra, Gujarat and South India.

Referring to the patents issue, he said with the assistance of the Union commerce ministry and the Basmati Development Fund created by Rs 50 per tonne contributed by the manufacturers, rice exporters were fighting the cases suscessfully in the USA courts.

UNI

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