Calcutta, May 25: ITC Ltd has posted a 25.98 per cent growth in net profit at Rs 1,614.36 crore for the fourth quarter ended March on the back of a strong show in cigarettes, agri and paper businesses.

Net profit stood at Rs 1,281.48 crore during the same quarter of the previous fiscal.

Total income from operations increased to Rs 6,954.64 crore from Rs 5,948.30 crore in the year-ago period.

The company generated a net revenue of Rs 3,249.88 crore from its cigarettes business against Rs 2,767.34 crore a year earlier. Net revenues from the agri business stood at 1,414.22 crore against Rs 1,081.83 crore, while paperboards and packaging contributed Rs 979.94 crore compared with Rs 916.96 crore in the year-ago period.

However, the hotel business witnessed a fall in net revenues at Rs 285.84 crore against Rs 300.33 crore.

For the entire fiscal, consolidated net profit rose 24.72 per cent to Rs 6,258.14 crore from Rs 5,017.93 crore in the previous fiscal.

The board has recommended a dividend of Rs 4.50 per ordinary share of Re 1 each for 2011-12.

The ITC scrip closed 0.75 per cent down at Rs 231.75 on the BSE today.