Adani Wilmar, which markets edible oils under Fortune brand, is entering into manufacturing of hand wash and sanitisers as part of its strategy to expand the portfolio under non-food category, its deputy CEO Angshu Mallick said. Adani Wilmar, which is a joint venture between business conglomerate Adani group and Singapore's Wilmar group, is already manufacturing and marketing soaps under the brand 'Alife'.

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"We are introducing two new products -- hand wash and sanitiser -- under Alife brand," Mallick said in an interview with PTI. In the food category, he said the company has added several products in the last few years apart from edible oils.

Mallick said the company is selling rice, both basmati and non-basmati, wheat flour, maida, sooji, besan, pulses, sugar and soya nuggets. He said bulk of the company's revenue comes from edible oil business, but the share of other food items is increasing.

Asked about the edible oil market, he said the demand has recovered significantly in the last few months but it is still down by 10-15 per cent from the pre-COVID level. Mallick said the demand from hotels, restaurants and cafeterias (HoReCa) segment is still lower. However, sales to institutional clients, like namkeen makers, have improved.

The demand is expected to rise in the festival season, he added. Mallick welcomed the government's decision to ban blending of mustard oil with any other cooking oil from October 1, saying this would help both consumers and farmers.

He said the move would also boost domestic production of edible oil and cut imports. India imported around 15 million tonnes of vegetable oils during 2018-19 oil marketing year (November to October). The imports are likely to fall in the current oil year.

At present, Adani Wilmar owns more than 40 units that cumulatively translate to a refining capacity of over 16,800 tonnes per day, seed crushing capacity of 6,000 tonnes per day and packaging capacity of 12,900 tonnes per day. The company's edible oil range includes soyabean, sunflower, mustard, rice bran, groundnut and cottonseed.

It forayed into the personal and skin care category last year with first product Alife Soap. The product portfolio spans under various brands such as - Fortune, King's, Bullet, Raag, Avsar, Pilaf, Jubilee, Fryola, Alpha, Alife and Aadhar.

Adani Wilmar also caters to institutional demand through its industry essential range which includes bulk packs of consumer essentials as well as lauric & bakery fats, castor oil derivatives, oleo chemicals and soya value added products.