Deepak Fertilisers forays into hand sanitiser segment; evaluates other IPA-based product opportunities

New Delhi: Deepak Fertilisers and Petrochemicals Corporation Ltd (DFPCL) on Monday announced its foray into hand sanitiser segment under the brand name ‘‘Cororid’’.

The product based on Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) is available in different volumes from 500 millilitre, 1 litre, 5 litre, 10 litre, 20 litre, 25 litre, 200 litre to tanker load, the company said in a regulatory filing.

The ‘‘Cororid’’ hand sanitiser has an effective anti-bacterial, antifungal and anti-viral agent with proven disinfectant properties which does not dehydrate and is soft on the skin, it added.

DFPCL said its hand sanitiser conforms to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommended formulation. The company has also received due approvals from the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration.

Commenting on the development, DFPCL’s Chairman and Managing Director Sailesh C Mehta said: “There has been an overwhelming response for ‘‘Cororid’’ since its launch during mid of April 2020.”

DFPCL is leveraging its existing strong distribution network along with pharmacy and hypermarket chains, modern trade and e-commerce channels to make the product easily available on pan-India basis, he said.

Stating that there is an unprecedented surge in demand for disinfecting agents due to COVID-19 pandemic situation, Mehta said, “We are also evaluating other IPA-based downstream product opportunities to gradually move closer to our end customers.”

This initiative is also in line with our long-established strategy to move from commodity to speciality products, he added.

In order to prioritise domestic requirements over exports and also to ensure availability of high-quality hygiene products to the end consumer, DFPCL said it is gradually shifting its focus from a key raw material supplier of IPA for hand sanitisers market to the final hand sanitiser product producer.

The central government has also included sanitisers under essential commodities list to ensure steady and sufficient availability, it added.