One of the country's leading veterinary product company Alved Pharma and Foods Pvt Ltd is on an expansion drive focusing on the strengthening its marketing efforts besides planning to introduce new products. According to Sajid Salahuddin, Director - Marketing, the company is planning to launch five new products in the veterinary segment aimed at cattles and poultry. These products would be outsourced and will be launched by end of December this year. Sajid however refused to name the products. These products together is expected to constitute 10-15 per cent of the total sales of the company, according to Sajid.

Alved already has an ongoing outsourcing relationship with Global Pharmatech and Safe Parenterals. Sajid maintained that the company would also look at other companies to outsource the five new products. To gear up with the launch and also strengthening the marketing efforts, the company is on a recruitment drive. Its marketing force is to be expanded into a 100 member size from the present 35 members. The company has also begun marketing its product in the states of UP, Haryana and West Bengal besides Andhra Pradesh. The company has appointed an old Alembic hand to be the General Manager.

As another part of the expansion drive, the company is in the process of registering its products in the East and West African countries. The registration formalities are expected to be completed within three to six months. The company has a significant presence in the Middle-East countries, Iran and Iraq, and strengthening its presence in the East and West African countries, where exists a huge market for the company's products, would help up the export turnover.

Currently the export turnover of the company is in the range of 25 to 30 per cent of the total turnover. Last year the company recorded a turnover of Rs. eight crore while it expects to record a turnover of Rs.12 crore. Export turnover is expected to double once the company gets an entry into the African markets.

The company has also a plan for setting up a state-of-the-art facility at Irrungatakottai near here, which will be GMP compliant. Sajid maintained that the company is still working on the modalities about the project.

Meanwhile the company has also forayed into the agriculture sector. It has set up a new agri division to handle sales of "Algifol" , an organic plant growth promoter. The product is being imported from a German company, NeoMed Pharma. Sajid maintained that the trial sales of the product has had a very good response. The product is to be launched in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in the initial stages. The company also plans to add a few more products from the German company for marketing in India in another six months down the line.