Tata Chemicals has drawn up an exhaustive business plan after a limpy financial year with renewed focus on its core businesses of soda ash, branded salt and fertilisers.

Managing director Prasad Menon said size and market share were the key elements in growing these businesses, and would look at augmenting capacities as well growth through acquisitions.

Tata Chemicals would also focus on soda ash and branded salt exports in a major way. Menon said that returns from salt export would be five times higher than that of domestic sales.

South-east Asia, a region targeted by Chinese manufacturers, would be a key market for soda ash as the company claims to be one of the lowest cost producers. Menon said Tata Chemicals would also look at chemicals portfolio through acquisitions.

The company is also planning to improve capacity and share in the fertiliser business, and is contemplating doing that through acquisitions.

Tata Chemicals has already put in an expression of interest for both National Fertilisers and Madras Fertilisers.

Menon, however, declined to furnish investment details that the company had lined up. "We have a fair idea of where we want to be and what we have to do for that. But it will be premature to comment on the investments that we would make," he said.

Tata Chemicals is already a leading player in most of its businesses: it has a 42 per cent share of the domestic soda ash mart, 37 per cent in branded salt with Tata Salt, and also claims to be one of the lowest cost producers of urea.

The company has identified detergents and cement as its non-core operations and is in the process of selling both.