The company also recorded an all-time high production of caprolactam by producing 50,723 tonnes against the previous best of 47,098 tonnes in 1995-96. The capacity utilisation was 101 per cent against 94 per cent previously, fact chairman managing director VN Rai told a news conference here on Friday.

The company also produced 2.31 lakh tonnes of ammonium sulphate during the period logging an all-time high with 103 per cent capacity utilisation against the previous best of 92 per cent. Urea production reached 2.65 lakh tonnes at 80 per cent capacity utilisation and was the third best since the inception of the plant 20 years ago. Rai said the company achieved its highest ever sales turnoverof Rs 1,605 crore including a subsidy content of about Rs 230 crore during 1999-2000 recording a 26 per cent growth over the previous best of Rs 1,271 crore in 1998-99.

Rai said despite creditable performance in the production as well as marketing fronts, financial results were adversely affected due to the increase in the input prices of petroleum products and inadequate sales realisation from phosphatic fertilisers.

The anticipated deficit for the year is Rs 47.90 crore against the previous year's deficit of Rs 48.26 crore. The cash profit for the current year is Rs 15.36 crore comapared to Rs 14.07 crore last year. He said the FACT Engineering Design Organisation (Fedo), a subsidiary of the company, has turned the corner by making a profit of Rs 15 lakh during the year achieving an annual turnover of Rs 13.40 crore.

Answering a question, Rai said the Government was very gracious in sanctioning funds for diversification projects enabling the company to compete in the context of liberalisation.

(UNI)