Q/ Covid caused a lot of disruptions, followed by geopolitical tensions, rising cost pressures and slowing economies. How have your businesses navigated these challenges?
A/ During the pandemic, we responded quickly. Factories started producing within two or three weeks, largely because workers lived in factories. We vaccinated all our employees, some family members and other associates of the company, and there was a very good response to that. So, during the pandemic, work was not affected much.
The Ukraine-Russia war caused a commodity boom, but that is also over now. The high prices of the commodities affected us when some of them were raw materials. When these were commodities we were producing ourselves, like palm oil, it was actually a benefit. But now that is also over.
The war was bad for Ukraine. But for India, there were opportunities like getting cheap oil and selling refined petroleum products at a big margin. So India has not been very badly affected. It is one of the fastest growing economies. Another economy that we operate in, Indonesia, is also doing well. The developed world and a lot of the developing world are in bad shape. But there are these intermediate economies, which are not so bad. China was badly affected by the pandemic. Now it is slowly recovering, but the Chinese recovery is not really very good, even today. So it is actually a big opportunity for India and Indian businesses.
Q/ What is your assessment of overall economic trends? And what is the growth outlook for Godrej companies?
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
