Ramdev Baba's Patanjali looks East: Wants to export to China, Myanmar Bangladesh, others

In sync with the government's Act East policy and to expand its behemoth, Baba Ramdev-run Patanjali is planning to start exports to East Asian countries like China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and others, according to a report in LiveMint. 

According to the report, the company also wants to set up a multi-modal export hub in Sahibganj district of Jharkhand where the company already has two distribution and retailing centres. 

Patanjali has already been exporting its products to Canada, Mauritius, the US and UK. 

Patanjali, which has posed as formidable competition to the established FMCG players in the country, is reportedly in talks with Inland Waterways Authority of India and shipping minister Nitin Gadkari. 

The government plans to turn Patanjali's export unit into a multi-modal hub with direct connectivity through roadways, waterways, and air with neighbouring countries. 

Transporting its goods through inland waterways will let Patanjali save on logistics cost for exports "and the idea is to capture the East Asian market by competing on price and quality," the LiveMint report quoted a senior central government official who wanted to remain anonymous. 

The report also said that the export hub in Sahibganj would have a handling capacity of 2.28 million tonnes per annum with the first phase of construction likely to be concluted by 2019.