Mangalore : MRPL has the annual turnover of Rs 57,000 crore and now it plans to manufacture new products in the expansion phase, said PP Upadhya, managing director of Mangalore Refineries and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL).

He was speaking after inaugurating two-day national vendor development programme and seminar cum industrial exhibition jointly organized by Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, MSME Development Institute (MSMEDI), District Industries Centre (DIC) and District Small Industries Association (DSIA) at Karnataka Polytechnic on January 5, Saturday.

Upadhya also said that MRPL sells 45 – 50 percent of its manufactured products in the export market and further aims to produce Petroleum Coke as a value added product.

Over 50-60 percent of working staffs in MRPL are diploma holders; hence more polytechnic institutes must produce more diploma holders to provide sufficient workers to the growing industrial sector. Most of the time small and mega industries demand the diploma holders to be appointed, because large number of students opts for engineering courses as the number of college’s increases.

M Prabhu, additional director for MSME said that MSME contributes largely to the Nation’s GDP and MSME in the state supports it with 40 percent of the industrial output and 30 percent of the exports.

He also said that registered MSMEs is just about 5 percent, hence it is necessary to promote incubator centres and facilitation councils in the state.

MSMEDI director SM Jamakhandi presided over the event.

MSMEDI deputy director K Socrates, DSIA president K Jayaraj Pai, KCCI president Mohammed Amin, Karnataka Small Scale Industrial Association joint secretary Santhosh D’Souza and DIC joint director SG Hegde were the chief guests.