HLL has been exporting castor oil, seeds and castor oil derivatives for the past 30 years. India in the last decade has emerged as one of the largest source of castor oil and seeds ahead of Brazil and China the other producing countries.

HLL has seen the business grow from 11,000 tonne in the early 90s to 65,000 tonne last year.

The site is organised into two zones - Information zone and Business zone. The information zone has the latest on Indian and world castor market prices, forward rates, arrivals in market places, agronomy, weather, port movements, currency movements etc.

"It is a customer friendly interface, online business channel and rich source of relevant market/business information all rolled into one," says an HLL spokesperson. The business zone will enable registered customers to raise inquiry and negotiate deals with HLL and its agents.

It will also enable them to keep track of their orders through shipment, delivery and payment. "In a market where every player involved works on wafer thin margins, the site aims to enable customers to slash down their search, transaction and communication costs. It will also enable HLL to offer superior service, information & knowledge sharing and customised product and trade terms," the spokesperson said.

HLL expects the site to also help build a community of castor product buyers and plans to have affiliations with other trade sites, industry associations and interest groups relevant for the castor trade. HLL has strong sourcing network, through agents and dedicated processors, for procurement and processing of castor seeds and Oil in Gujarat, the main castor growing area in India.

In a volatile commodity market, HLL has striven to add value to customers through reliable and customised service. To serve the overseas customers better, HLL has set up distribution operations in Europe through tank installations in Rotterdam and Marseilles and warehouses in Belgium. This network is further being extended through a new distribution point in Newark, New Jersey, for the American market.