Balrampur Chini Mills has been awarded a ₹75 crore grant by the Government of India to establish India's first Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) Co-Polymer Research and Development facility.

The grant was sanctioned by the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) under the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) as part of the flagship BioE3 initiative. The funding aims to accelerate the development of advanced bio-based materials and strengthen indigenous biomanufacturing capabilities.

Grant details

The following table summarises the key details of the grant and the project scope:

The pilot-scale R&D facility will be established at the company's integrated manufacturing complex in Kumbhi, Uttar Pradesh. This site is also where Balrampur Chini Mills is setting up India's first integrated commercial PLA manufacturing facility with an 80,000 TPA capacity.

Strategic objectives

The new facility is designed to bridge the gap between laboratory research and commercial manufacturing. It will serve as an innovation engine for developing next-generation PLA grades and co-polymers. Key objectives include:

• Developing specialised PLA grades for high-value applications.
• Generating techno-economic data and process know-how for commercial-scale manufacturing.
• Training skilled talent for India's emerging biomanufacturing sector.
• Enabling collaboration with industry and research institutions to accelerate innovation.

Avantika Saraogi, Executive Director at Balrampur Chini Mills, stated that the grant is a strong endorsement of the strategic role advanced biomanufacturing will play in India's future. She noted that the facility will help build indigenous technology and create scientific capabilities required for leading the global transition towards sustainable manufacturing.

What the Numbers Show

The ₹75 crore grant represents a targeted investment in the R&D phase rather than immediate production capacity. With the company simultaneously setting up an 80,000 TPA commercial PLA plant, this grant specifically funds a 100 TPA pilot-scale unit. This structure indicates a focus on technology indigenisation and product validation before full-scale commercial rollout, aiming to reduce dependency on imported biopolymer technologies.

Balrampur Chini Mills completed the full and timely redemption of ₹100 crore in commercial paper on September 23, 2026. The payment was made to holders of the instrument with an ISIN of INE119A14906, marking the successful settlement of this specific short-term debt obligation.

The company issued a certificate to BSE Limited confirming that the maturity amount was paid on the due date. This action complies with SEBI Master Circular No SEBI/HO/DDHS/DDHS-PoD/P/CIR/2025/0000000137 dated October 15, 2025, and follows the company's earlier announcement regarding the record date for the CP redemption.

Redemption details

The following table outlines the specifics of the redeemed commercial paper:

Compliance and certification

Manoj Agarwal, Company Secretary and Compliance Officer, signed the certificate digitally on September 23, 2026. The document confirms that all payment obligations associated with the specified commercial paper were fulfilled without delay. The company requested BSE Limited to take the information on record as part of its continuous disclosure requirements.

This transaction reflects the company's adherence to its scheduled debt repayment timelines for short-term instruments. No further details regarding the interest rate or issuance date of this specific tranche were disclosed in the filing.