Polar Latex MD Kalyan Chattopadhyay told The Financial Express, "In the current year we are expecting sales of Rs 8 crore, which would be around 15 per cent of our total exports."

The company is looking at a sales turnover of Rs 60 crore in the current financial year, most of which is accounted for by exports, Chattopadhyay said. In 1998-99, the company recorded sales worth Rs 27 crore.

Polar has already tied up with a Bangladeshi distributor and the company is in the process of dispatching its first consigment of its premium brand `Tonite' within the current week. Tonite is being simultaneously launched at Dhaka and Chittagong.

Chattopadhyay said, "We have just shortlisted a few advertising agencies. I believe promotional work can start within six to eight weeks."

While Tonite is aproduct for the upper half of the market, the company is also developing a product, especially for the Bangladeshi market, targeted at the lower half.

In the first year, the company plans to sell around 50 million pieces of the economy brand in the Bangladesh market. Chattopadhyay said, "This will be a totally new brand developed for the Bangladesh market as condoms have different associations in Bangladesh."

Bangladesh is projected as a 1.5 billion pieces per annum market for condoms. The country has a population of around 16 crore at present. The government of Bangladesh is encouraging the use of condoms as birth control and AIDS prevention measures.

Polar is also trying to tie up with the various non-governmental organisations and donor agencies for the marketing of the product in Bangladesh. "We are talking to a host of agencies. Population Services International is one of them. There are about a dozen west-European and USA based organisations with whom we are holding diuscussions at present," hesaid.