Page 25 - FBL AR 2019-20
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Corporate   Statutory  FinanCial
                                                                                        overview  StatementS  StatementS










                               C HAIRM AN ’ S   STR ATEGIC   OVER VIE W
                               How we are building a


                               future-ready Company




                               It is that time in the existence of

                               humankind when one needs to extend

                               beyond the operational review of a specific

                               financial year and appraise the big picture.

                               There has possibly been no more relevant time in the recent history of humankind
                               where there has been such an emphasis on the need for enhanced immunity.
                               The impact of COVID-19 has brought into play the need for improved health and
                               wellbeing. Besides, in a world marked by sedentary lives and poor nutrition, there is
                               a premium on the need for health supplements. This is where ‘nutraceuticalisation’
                               comes in. We believe that a larger number of processed food and well-being products
                               will be fortified with nutritional ingredients. A large number of these products will
                               be woven around Vitamin D, which is increasingly necessary because of most people
                               prefer to spend their time indoors with low access to sunlight.
                               Through the manufacture and research of Vitamin D across the last five decades,
                               Fermenta has been engaged in precisely this space.
                               Through a long-standing focus, Fermenta is the only manufacturer of Vitamin D3 in
                               India and among the largest in the world. The combination of scale, brand, research,
                               relationships and relevance indicates that we are at the cusp of a significant multi-year
                               opportunity.
                               Our objective is not just to service an existing market; it is also to grow it.
                               We expect to enhance nutrition affordability and strengthen our recall as a B2B
                               solution provider and nutritional supermarket.
                               At Fermenta, we are attractively placed to make this happen. Over the decades,
                               Fermenta has been playing the role of an evangelist in the Vitamin D space as a
                               manufacturer that caters to customers worldwide.
                               This overarching role has been driven by our forward-looking investments in research.
                               We invested disproportionately in research despite market weakness. We made
                               sustained multi-year research investments. We commissioned a full-fledged research
                               centre. We focused on the development of new grades, entry into adjacent spaces,
                               quality improvement and cost moderation.
                               At Fermenta, we extended beyond research to the responsible manufacture of
                               products and grades needed by our customers; we invested in manufacturing












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