Jamshedpur: Tata Steel is planning to double its production from the present four million tonne per annum (mtpa) to around eight mtpa by 2007, its centenary year. It has plans to grow bigger than that, not only in this country but also overseas. 

Delivering his address at the 52nd annual general meeting (AGM) of the Singhbhum Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI) here on Tuesday evening, Tata Steel managing director Mr B Muthuraman said that the steel major’s one million tonne expansion, costing around Rs 2,000 crore, will be over by end of 2004. 

Another expansion plan will finally take its production to around 7.5 mtpa by 2007. 

"When our company turns 100-year-old in 2007, it will produce 7 or 7.5 millon tonne," said Mr Muthuraman. Delving on the promise he had made last year to SCCI members of buying more from local vendors, Mr Muthuraman said that he was not satisfied with the progress made on this front by the company, even though the contribution of Jharkhand vendors in Tata Steel’s total purchases last year (2002-03) was around 48 per cent. This is expected to grow to 55 per cent this year. 

"Tata Steel is committed to improve the involvement of local industrialists in its growth", said Mr Muthuraman. From among the share of Jharkhand-based vendors, the share of Jamshedpur-based vendors in the steel major’s purchases last year had been 85 per cent; this is expected to become 95 per cent this year. 

"Tata Steel has robust growth plans, not only in Jamshedpur, but in the rest of India and even beyond India .... on that there is no doubt & we have our vision and plan," said the Tata Steel MD, without elaborating further.