Pidilite Industries entered the Rs 1 lakh crore market cap club this week and the stock has been trading above Rs 2,000 apiece. In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Bharat Puri, MD of Pidilite Industries, in the current situation the biggest challenge for the company has been commodity inflation but he does expect the situation to better in the second half of the current fiscal.

“In our belief, the large part of that inflation is because of local factors. We believe that in the second half of the year raw material and commodity prices both will start easing,” he said in an interview with CNBC-TV18.

“In the second half of the year, we will see softening of the prices. So we are waiting and watching but hopeful,” he added.

While sharing his best guess of business sentiment going forward, he said, “As far as consumer sentiment is concerned, this second wave has impacted all of us and our people, the trade much more, it is deeper and it is broader. My belief is sentiment this time will take a little longer to come back, it won’t bounce back as quickly as it did last time.”

He expects it to be a conservative recovery. “I think it will be a conservative recovery rather than a strong recovery,” he said.

75 percent of the country is currently in May is closed. “Therefore, the logistical challenge will exist once all of this opens. Right now, our factories are operating, warehouses are full but the last mile, which is retail, is largely closed,” he mentioned.

For the full interview, watch the accompanying video

(Edited by : Abhishek Jha)