Spiralling prices of foodgrains and edible oil and low jute prices in the last couple of months have prompted a large number of jute farmers to shift to paddy and oilseed cultivation in the eastern part of the country.

Raw jute (TD-4 variety) prices dropped to Rs 1,170 a quintal on account of cheap imports from Bangladesh in the beginning of this year, when the Union government scrapped the duty on import of raw jute and jute products from Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives and Nepal.

With jute farmers anticipating lower prices for their produce, many of them have opted for paddy and oilseeds in the next cropping season. As a result, the overall jute production is expected to be about 30 per cent lower in the nest jute season.

Last year too, the overall production, which was pegged at 95 lakh (9.5 million) bales (1 bale =180 kg), was actually less by 5 lakh bales.

A speculation of a lower crop in the next season, beginning July, coupled with large-scale hoarding of jute, has increased domestic jute prices by almost Rs 400 a quintal in the last two months. Imported jute from Bangladesh is quoting Rs 100 a quintal more than the local produce.

"In spite of high prices of imported jute, many domestic mill owners are sourcing raw materials outside India as is it is difficult to purchase jute in bulk from the local market," said Ghanshyam Sarda, a jute mill owner in West Bengal.

Jute production from Bihar is set to drop as the sowing area in the state has decreased by 50 per cent, with farmers shifting to paddy cultivation, according to informal estimates by government sources. The state accounts for about 12 per cent of the country's overall jute production.

In Assam too, also accounts for about 10 per cent of the production, there has been a 20 per cent decline in the jute acreage.

In West Bengal, which generally accounts for more than 65 per cent of the production, the sowing area has declined by 25 per cent, with a majority of farmers shifting to oilseeds production, which incurs a relatively low input cost.

URL: http://in.rediff.com/money/2008/may/07jute.htm

West Bengal government announced new ITES policy to boost IT business in the state.

The West Bengal government recently announced a new policy for information technology enabled services (ITES) to get a larger share of the IT service industry pie in the country. Mr. Ghanshyam Sarda, a leading businessman reported the new policy to be very helpful for growth of IT services business in the state.

The chief minister of West Bengal, Mr. Buddhadeb Bhattacharya claimed: "This new policy offers the best fiscal incentives". The ITES business has been endowed with the status of a public utility and the companies can keep their shop open 24 hours a day round the year.

Vishnu Solutions, Vision Comptech and BNK Solutions are some of the leading companies operating in the call centre business in technical collaboration with foreign firms. The government is in talks with a handful of big international names like IBM, AIG and Unilever - some have already announced projects in the state. Several domestic companies like Reliance Infocom, ICICI Infotech and L&T Infotech have also been sounded out.

Mr. Ghanshyam Sarda is a Calcutta based business man who has set up call centers in the city providing employment and work opportunities. With a workforce of over 50,000 in West Bengal, the Sarda Group is one of West Bengal's largest employers. Mr. Sarda is also very much popular for his thought-provoking views on a variety of topics, from IT to sports.

URL: http://openpr.com/news/21869/Ghanshyam-Sarda-Calls-New-ITES-Policy-of-West-Bengal-Very-Helpful.html

The Sarda group, which recently acquired the Gaur Hari Singhania group's JK Jute Mill in Kanpur, is eyeing a pan-India presence in jute goods manufacturing.

Following the acquisition of the Kanpur mill, which has capacity of 120 tonnes per day (tpd), the Rs 2,000-crore Sarda group's jute goods manufacturing capacity now stands at 560 tonnes per day.

Apart from seven mills in Bengal, the group has set up plants in Bihar, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. The group is setting up a mill in Rajasthan and is also planning a unit in Tamil Nadu.

While announcing the acquisition of JK Jute Mill, group chairman Ghanshyam Sarda said, "The idea was to take production units closer to consumers. The latest acquisition will help prompt delivery of jute bags to sugar mills in Uttar Pradesh."

The 60-tpd mill being set up at Alwar in Rajasthan will begin production this fiscal.

Together, the mills in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, both located closer to the sugar and foodgrain production centres of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, will ensure prompt delivery of sacks for packing during the rabi and kharif crop procurement seasons, Sarda said.

Sarda said the Tamil Nadu government had asked the group to consider setting up a jute mill in the state. "We are enthusiastic about the proposal and are negotiating with the Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporation and Tamil Nadu Sugar Mills Federation, both of which are large consumers of jute bags," Sarda said.

These two organisations buy jute bags worth over Rs 100 crore annually.

The group has also drawn up a major human resource development initiative.

Training centres for jute mill workers have been set up at the group's Agarpara and Titaghar mills where batches of 100 are being trained. The course offers assured jobs after the completion of the one-year training programme.

"The industry is full of unskilled workers. Developing skills will help the industry meet global demands for eco-friendly products made of natural fibre," Sarda said.

URL: http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080212/jsp/business/story_8891975.jsp

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The Sarda Group today said that it has acquired a 120-ton capacity jute mill in Kanpur belonging to GH Singhania's JK Group at a cost of Rs 35 crore.

URL: http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?date=2008-02-01&usrsess=1696237805188&clid=12&id=215091

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The Sarda Group on Thursday said it has acquired a 120-tonne capacity jute mill in Kanpur belonging to Mr G H Singhania's JK Group at the cost of Rs 35 crore.

"We have acquired JK Jute Mills in Kanpur. The mill was closed for about two and half years. We have acquired 92 per cent stake in the company and will go for an open offer shortly in the company listed in the local bourse," Mr Ghanshyam Sarda, Chairman, Sarda Group said here today.

The total acquisition cost was Rs 35 crore, including liability totaling Rs 25 crore. With this acquisition, the group will now have 10 jute mills and the total capacity of the group will go up to 560 tonne per day, he said.

Mr Sarda said he expected the mill to be up for commercial production from May-June this year.

"We will retain all the 4,500 workers associated with the mill," he said. The Rs 2,000-crore group has mills in Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Bangladesh. A Greenfield jute mill had been under construction in Alwar, Rajasthan with an investment of Rs 70-80 crore.

"The Rajasthan mill will be up for production from March this year," Mr Sarda said. The group has been evaluating setting up another Greenfield jute mill in Tamil Nadu.

"There is lot of scope for business. Tamil Nadu government buys jute products worth Rs 100 every year. We are negotiating for incentives," Mr Sarda said.

URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blnus/02311806.htm

The Sarda Group on Thursday said it has acquired a 120-tonne capacity jute mill in Kanpur belonging to G H Singhania's JK Group at the cost of Rs 35 crore.

"We have acquired JK Jute Mills in Kanpur. The mill was closed for about two and half years. We have acquired 92 per cent stake in the company and will go for an open offer shortly in the company listed in the local bourse," Sarda Group chairman Ghanshyam Sarda told reporters here today.

The total acquisition cost was Rs 35 crore, including liability totalling Rs 25 crore.

With this acquisition, the group will now have 10 jute mills and the total capacity of the group will go upto 560 ton per day, he said.

Sarda said he expected the mill to be be up for commercial production from May-June this year.

"We will retain all the 4,500 workers associated with the mill," he said.

The Rs 2,000-crore group has mills in Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Bangladesh. A greenfield jute mill had been under construction in Alwar, Rajasthan with an investment of Rs 70-80 crore.

"The Rajasthan mill will be up for production from March this year," Sarda said.

The group has been evaluating setting up another greenfield jute mill in Tamil Nadu.

"There is lot of scope for business. Tamil Nadu government buys jute products worth Rs 100 every year. We are negotiating for incentives," Sarda said.

URL: http://www.tamilpakkam.com/html/cini_news/Sardagroupplanstosetupjutemill.htm

Sarda Group, one of the biggest business conglomerates from Kolkata, has been concentrating on jute industry, the major foreign exchange earner for India. Recently, the company has planned of setting up a jute mill in Alwar, Rajasthan.

The facility will require an investment of around Rs100 crores. Spanning an area of around 15-acres, the jute mill is expected to have a processing capacity of 60 ton of raw jute per day.

In this regard, Mr Ghanshyam Sarda of the Sarda Group, while attending a press conference, said, "The Rajasthan facility is aimed at tapping the northern India market, as about 50 percent of the demand for jute sacks prevails in that region. The new mill will also have a two lakh square feet of warehouse facility, enabling us sale of jute sacks directly to farmers at relatively cheaper."

The Group is also planning to acquire the sick government-owned Konark Jute Mill at Dhanmandal in Orissa, which has the capacity to process about 30 tons of raw jute per day.

According to Mr Sarda, jute sector in India lacks skilled labourers. The industry has employed around 30 million people but most of them are unskilled. Observing this, Sarda Group has decided to set up two jute-training institutes at Agarpara and Titagarh in West Bengal.

Sarda Group boasts of reviving nine sick and ailing jute mills, mostly closed after incurring huge losses. It also manages 10 jute mills in the country. Presently, the company commands over 20 percent share in India’s resurgent jute industry.

URL: http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/jute-news/newsdetails.aspx?news_id=47467

The Sarda Group has set up two jute production training centers in the state to feed the demand for skilled labour to make the Hessian cloth that goes into diversified products like carrybags, fabrics and low-end blankets.

"We are running short of 5000 people in our mills," said Ghanshyam Sarda, whose Sarda group, now divided among three brothers, operates ten mills with a production of 3500 tonne a day.

Sarda is also setting up a mill in Alwar in Rajasthan to make only the new items that are popular in global markets. The Rs 100 crore mill, with a capacity of 60 tonne a day, is scheduled to begin operations in a year.

The Sardas' ten mills together have around 60,000 workers. Ghanshyam Sarda's mills, which produce 200 tonne a day, do not make the diversified products but supply the Hessian fabric.

Once the centres --- at Agarpara and Titagarh --- are successful, they would set up branches in districts like Murshidabad and Burdwan. The six-month course would be offered free, and focus on managing modern machinery.

Those who sign up would get a stipend of Rs 30 a day along with meals. The stipend would be increased with the course grade. The trained labour would be absorbed in Sarda's jute mills at Rs 125 a day once they pass the final examination.

The two centres together are starting with 40 students but the aim is to train batches of 1000.

The Sarda group has eight mills in West Bengal and one each in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. Of the group's total turnover of about Rs 2,000 crore, jute accounts for Rs 600 crore. It is also present in marine technology and real estate.

URL: http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Sarda-to-set-up-jute-products-unit-in-Rajasthan-training-centre-in-Bengal/257527/

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Kolkata-based Sarda Group has lined up an investment of Rs 100 crore towards setting up a jute mill in Alwar, Rajasthan.

It is also eying the acquisition of a sick government-owned jute mill called Konark Jute Mill at Dhanmandal in Orissa through bidding. The company had offered Rs 10 crore for the mill, which can process about 30 ton of raw jute per day, to the Orissa government, said Ghanshyam Sarda of the Sarda Group.

"The Rajasthan facility is aimed at tapping the northern India market, as about 50 per cent of the demand for jute sacks is in that region. The new mill will also have a 2 lakh square feet of warehouse facility, enabling us sale of jute sacks directly to farmers at relatively cheaper," he said at a press conference in Kolkata.

URL: http://www.business-standard.com/search/storypage_new.php?leftnm=1&leftindx=1&subLeft=1&autono=309634

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A Kolkata-based jute manufacturing company plans to set up at least ten centres to train skilled jute-mill workers in the next three years. The Sarda Group is establishing two state-of-the-art jute-training centres in the Agarpara Jute Mill and the Eastern Jute Mill at Titagarh.

The centres will have a capacity of churning out 1,000 trained workers in the industry per year. "Depending on the success of the first initiative, we are going to set up 10 similar institutes in various parts of the state," said Ghanshyam Sarda, chairman of the Sarda Group.

According to company officials, the recruits will be trained in all kinds of shop floor applications required to work in a jute mill. "The duration of the course is six months. No fee will be charged. Rather, each candidate will be given a stipend in addition to a meal per day. On successful completion of the course, all trainees will be absorbed in our factories and given a certificate as well," Sarda said.

The faculty will be sourced from the Institute of Jute Technology and the company’s own engineers. Each training institute will be built at a of cost around Rs 3 crore, claimed company officials.

The Group is also planning to set up a Rs 100-crore integrated jute hub at Alwar in Rajasthan. "The company has already acquired 15 acres and initial training and production has already started," said a company spokesman.

URL: http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Jute-firm-to-set-up-staff-training-centres/257593/

Ghanshyam Sarda recently addressed a gathering of the BE College Alumni Association where he talked about the importance of developing good survival instinct for the budding entrepreneurs and managers. He stressed on the fact that one should not get disheartened and stop trying after a few failures and gave the example of Abraham Lincoln and Henry Ford who got highly successful later in life, despite several initial setbacks.

The meeting was attended by several dignitaries like Prof. Shankar Sen, vice chancellor, Jadavpur University, Prof. Nikhil Ranjan Banerjee, Vice Chancellor, Bengal Engineering and Science University and Rabindranath Dutta, Sheriff of Calcutta.

Even in India, Narayana Murthy started INFOSYS in 1981 with ten thousand rupees borrowed from his wife, along with six other professionals. The Company stumbled along for 7 years and around 1988 the six other partners wanted to quit. Narayana Murthy, however, remained steadfast. He had full faith and belief in his vision and told them that if they wanted, they could sell their shares to him. He knew that he had a mission to accomplish and worked with a clear vision towards it. The result is before the world today.

Mr. Sarda told, "My own life started in extremely trying and modest circumstances with a most ordinary background of raw jute trading and a company having the strength of one and half people - when I say half, I mean one Accountant and a Peon. Today our group has a work force of almost one lac people." He added, "I started my career in a small open cubicle of 10 feet x 10 feet. I faced all kinds of opposition - from family members to the highest Political levels. However, friends my target, my goal, my mission were always a priority for me and today we are one of the largest employers in Bengal having diverse Industries from Jute to chemicals to IT. I have always believed that adversity is the best University."

Mr. Sarda went on to quote some classics to motivate the present students:

The Survivor sees an answer for every problem.
Loser sees a problem for every answer.

Survivors have dreams
Losers have schemes.

Winners say, I must do something;
Losers say; something must be done.

They see the gain;
Losers see the pain.

They make it happen
Losers let it happen.

He concluded by remarking "Knowledge is not power, knowledge is only potential power. It transforms itself into actual power the moment you decisively act on it. Knowledge is knowing what to do next, but the more important skill is knowing how to do it".

URL: http://www.sky2space.com/view/Ghanshyam_Sarda_Addresses_College_18754/

Ghanshyam Sarda of the 1000 crore Sarda group, recently announced that they have picked up 4% stake in GIC Housing. He said: "The global trend indicates a great future for the housing finance companies". Sarda group has multiple investments in the IT and real estate industries.

Investors in Calcutta have been buying stakes in several leading companies and the overall mood here is very positive. Analysts said the investors were cherry-picking the stocks and were investing in industries in which they had specific interests. Mr. Sarda added: "We want to buy shares of companies operating in industries with long-term profitability. Obviously we want to purchase shares at reasonable price only."

The investor friendly approach of the new West Bengal government has been acting as a stimulant to the companies willing to set up shops and development centres in Bengal.

URL: http://www.1888pressrelease.com/sarda-group-acquires-4-in-gic-housing-pr-541km7x7y.html

In the Public Interest Litigation, the Government of West Bengal represented by the Advocate General Mr. Balai Roy, gave a clean chit to the Medical Kits supplied by Monozyme India Limited.

The Advocate General on Friday, March 30th, placed the report of National Institute of Biologicals, New Delhi, the only approved Central Government Laboratory, before the Division Bench of Hon'ble Calcutta High Court, comprising of Hon'ble Mr. Justice P. C. Ghosh and Hon'ble Mr. Justice B. Samaddar.

The Court in the wake of the report of National Institute of Biologicals, certifying that the Medical kits are of standard quality and 100% sensitivity, has directed the State Government to file an Affidavit stating their stand on the same and also gave a clean chit to the testing kits. The Advocate General further submitted that the hands of the State Government were tied because the report of National Institute of Biologicals has been accepted and that the laboratory report do not say anything adverse about the quality.

On being questioned about this development, Ghanshyam Sarda commented: "This vindicates our claim about the test kits being of standard quality".

In the meanwhile, the Supreme Court has also upheld the decision of the Hon'ble Calcutta High Court granting discharge to Sardas.

URL: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/05/prweb525750.htm

Kolkata-based jute industrialists and big-ticket operators are back in the stock market with a bang. The latest addition to the bandwagon is the Sarda group, which announced on January 01 the acquisition of over 4 per cent stake in GIC Housing Finance. Jute baron Arun Kumar Bajoria on December 30 declared his holding of 3.5 per cent in Balaji Telefilms. Big ticket members of Lyons Range are also very active. Shyam Sunder Dalmia picked up over 10 per cent stake in Texmaco, while Chandra Vadan Desai acquired over 5 per cent stake in West Coast Paper Mills and 2 per cent in Graphite India. Desai has also substantial holding in Sirpur Paper and Andhra Pradesh Paper Mills.

In addition, jute industrialist J K Kankaria and Kaushal Kumbhat, who runs a management consultancy firm, had expressed interest to acquire state government's stake in Maharashtra Scooters and Andhra Pradesh Paper Mills, respectively. Ghanshyam Sarda, of the Rs 1,000 crore Sarda group, said the investment in GIC Housing Finance was long-term.

URL: http://sify.com/finance/equity/fullstory.php?id=13350319

The fight for the control of BSL Limited has now come out in the open with city-based business house Sardas declaring that they were working on the timing for an open offer and keen to acquire management control in the company.

Mr Ghanshyam Sarda of Sarda group told on Wednesday that the group was keen to acquire management control in BSL, adding that the percentage stakeholding required would depend upon the market price of the shares.

Though Mr Sarda said that the timing of the open offer has not been finalised yet but added that the financial analysts of the group were currently working out the formula for an open offer. He also said that the market price was very lucrative for the company's scrip.

The Sarda group had recently created a stir in the market by acquiring 12 per cent stake in the LM Jhunjhunwala-Arun Churiwal controlled BSL Limited, formerly Bhilwara Synthetics Limited. This prompted the promoters to hike their stake in the company by three per cent to nearly 35 per cent to counter the takeover bid.

The Sarda group has already informed the stock exchanges and the Securities & Exchange Board of India (SEBI) about its present holding in BSL.

Mr Sarda said that though the exact quantum of holding which the group would like to obtain has not been decided yet, however "we would like to get 60 to 70 per cent, but it depends whether the market allows us to do that". Mr Sarda said that any future move by the group in this regard would be duly intimated to the concerned authorities.

Apart from the 35 per cent stake held by the promoters and 12 per cent now with Sardas the balance stake in BSL was being held by the institutions and public. To a query why the group was keen to get management control in BSL, Mr Sarda said that the brand was strong. Besides that, the company had good reserves. The Sardas have interests in chemicals, jute, and textile trading. "If there is a good opportunity, then we will definitely be interested in BSL", Mr Sarda said. The business group controls seven jute mills in the city and suburbs, besides owning Kolmak Chemicals Limited. Incidentally Sardas' move to take control of BSL comes nearly a year after another city-based jute-baron Arun Bajoria's failed takeover bid for Nusli Wadia controlled Bombay Dying.

URL: http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Sardas-Working-Towards-Open-Offer-For-BSL/49237/