In a notice to the Calcutta Stock Exchange, the company, in which Dutch pharamceutical major Akzo Nobel has a 50.5 per cent stake, states that instead of March next year, it will announce a nine-month result at the end of December this year.

Infar's company secretary S Kumar, when contacted said: "We are changing the accounting year because our Dutch parent follows the January-December format."

The company was incorporated in 1967 as Organon India, but in 1983 it changed its name to the present Infar (India) Ltd. The company has interests in human medicines, diagonistics, bulk drugs and animal vaccines.

Infar has plans to consolidate its position in the human drugs business. Managing director AY Iyengar recently told The Financial Express that the company will focus more on human-oriented activities.

"We would like to consolidate in the humandrugs business. So we will concentrate only on human medicines for gynaecology, psychiatry, cardiovascular and immunology, bulk drugs and diagonistics," Iyengar said.

He also said the company is considering a restructuring move to concentrate on its priority areas.

In 1997-98, Infar reported a turnover of Rs 84.45 crore, profit before tax of Rs 9.14 crore and profit after tax of Rs 6.29 crore. In 1996-97, turnover was Rs 83.67 crore, profit before tax Rs 8.18 crore and profit after tax Rs 5.76 crore.

The company had recently upgraded its bulk drug unit at Ganganagar. The effluent treatment plant of the diosynth manufacturing unit has been modernised at a cost of Rs 2.5 crore.