Sales during the period were up 12 per cent from Rs 502.2 crore to Rs 561.1 crore. Operating profit of the company stood at Rs 258 crore, up 13 per cent against Rs 153 last year.

The company's nine-month performance has also improved against its previous year results with an increase of 15 per cent in the net profit to Rs 521.2 crore from Rs 451.9 crore in the same period last year.

Sales during the nine months was higher by 12 per cent at Rs 1,677.1 crore as against Rs 1,496.3 crore in the corresponding period of the last year.Operating profits for the nine months stood at Rs 792 crore, a rise of 17 per cent over the previous years figure of Rs 679 crore.

The company has attributed the increased profitability to the larger share of value-added products, better realisation, consolidation of operating efficiencies and successful efforts of cost saving, a company press release said.

The company's exports rose 26 per cent in value to Rs 292 crore as against Rs 231 crore in the corresponding period last year. Aluminium metal production for the nine months was up from 1.86 lakh tonne during the nine-month period to 1.87 lakh tonne this year. The company has said that the capacity utilisation this year has been in excess of 100 per cent.

Alumina production was at 3.53 lakh tonne, up 6 per cent over the previous years production of 3.31 lakh tonne.

In January 2001, the company has raised a debt of Rs 150 crore for general corporate purposes through secured redeemable debentures, carrying an interest rate of 11.22 per cent for a period of seven years.