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Regular-article-logo Friday, 09 May 2025

ORGANON TO RAISE STAKE IN INFAR 

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BY PALLAB BHATTACHARYA Published 27.07.01, 12:00 AM
Calcutta, July 27 :    Calcutta, July 27:  Organon Participations of the Netherlands, an Akzo Nobel group company, is set to acquire the entire 25.52 per cent stake of the Indian promoters in Infar India, for a consideration of Rs 44.19 crore. The acquisition will raise the Dutch company's stake in the city-based pharma company to over 76 per cent from the existing 51 per cent. Confirming the move, the Indian promoter and chairman of Infar, S. G. Mehta, said the agreement between him and Organon will be signed on Monday. 'We have decided to sell our stake to Organon because the offer from the Dutch company is good enough. Organon will pay Rs 285 per share, while the Infar scrip is hovering at Rs 180-185,' Mehta said. Mehta said he has decided to exit in the interests of Infar, which needs heavy investment to grow. Organon, which has strong resources and a worldwide network, will be able to make this investment as and when required. Incidentally, the Dutch multinational has also acquired most of the stake held by the financial institutions to gain management control in Infar. Sources said Organon is considering a proposal to buy back the public holding at a later stage through an open offer, in order to acquire 100 per cent control in Infar. The Organon officials, however, could not be contacted despite several attempts made by The Telegraph. The financial institutions have a 3 per cent stake in Infar, while around 22 per cent is with the public. Incidentally, Organon recently bought out B.K. Birla's stake in Centech Chemicals in a similar fashion. Organon, which contributes around 47 per cent to the operating income of the Akzo Nobel, now operates in over 80 countries. Infar, which has two production units in Calcutta, registered a turnover of Rs 127 crore in the year ending December 2000, while net profit rose to Rs 17.86 crore from Rs 14 crore in the previous fiscal. Last year, Infar's wholly owned subsidiary, Intercare Ltd, had been amalgamated with the parent company. The company has also divested its veterinary business.    
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