After creating a prominent position in health care segment, food segment, ayurvedic segment etc, Patanjali Ayurved is now looking at venturing into apparels before the end of financial year. Acharya Balkrishna, CMD, Patanjali Ayurved while speaking to Free Press Journal’s Manish Upadhyay reveals company’s future plans.
Patanjali earlier had plans to venture into apparels manufacturing sector. What is happening there?
Patanjali is going to introduce itself in apparels market in a big way before the end of next March. Apparels with be sold under the brand name ‘Paridhan’.
What is the current status of ‘Aachharya Gurukul’?
Patanjali has already filed its application seeking permission to start a new education board some years ago. We hope the government is working on it. We have not given up the plan. As soon as the permission is granted, schools will be opened across the country. Presently, we have started working in this direction and as a model, a residential school named ‘Aachharya Gurukulam’ is being run in Haridwar. Besides three schools in North-East, one in Harayana is also running successfully. We are also running Ayurvedic College influenced by Vedic tradition and culture.
What are the initiatives Patanjali has taken for promotion of yoga and ayurveda abroad?
Presently, we are dispatching our products to several countries. But, for exporting the products in a big and organised way, we are going to set up units in Special Economic Zone (SEZ) close to Nagpur. From herbal cosmetic and medicines to pure ayurvedic medicines, all will be manufactured and further exported from Nagpur. Our basic objective is to spread yoga and ayurveda in every corner of the world.
How is the company encouraging organic food?
In India there is a vast land where people are cultivating grains using organic fertilisers, but they don’t have certificates. In MP also this is happening. We are focusing on purchasing the food grains which are cultivated using organic farming.
Is Patanjali working on selling products online?
Yes, we are working on it and very soon our products would be available on e-commerce platform.
Any progress in upcoming food processing plant in Pithampur?
Work is going on full swing. About 65 per cent boundary wall has already been erected. We are trying to build the unit to start production by March 2018. Since MP is rich in wheat, we will manufacture biscuits, suji, atta and noodles here, as 1,000 tonnes of food items will be processed. This will be a state-of-the-art plant. We are also looking for land in other districts. We would be setting up an orange fruit juice plant in Chhindwara area, where a large amount of orange is being cultivated, but not properly used. We are also working on contract forming.
