Firms resist bid to patent tea production
Domestic tea majors are fighting a bid by George Williamson Co Ltd of UK to patent the entire tea manufacturing process, right from the plucked leaf to 20kg packaged chests. The UK-based company which has a stake in BM Khaitan's Williamson Magor runs George Williamson Assam Ltd -- a tea company. The patents office is expected to give its decision within a few months.
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Interest income sates Lever's ravenous merger appetite
Hindustan Lever has brought the country's largets cosmetic business under its fold. Last year, This year, HLL not only recovered last year's loss of Rs 25 crore but made a further profit of Rs 48 crore. This was made possible due to three reasons -- high operational efficiency, a highly unusual negative working capital situation in the main businesses sharply cutting interest cost, and cautious investment of the surplus funds thus generated in government securities and other money market instruments.
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