Rating Rationale
February 20, 2024 | Mumbai
Uma Exports Limited
Ratings downgraded to 'CRISIL BBB-/Stable/CRISIL A3'
 
Rating Action
Total Bank Loan Facilities RatedRs.72 Crore
Long Term RatingCRISIL BBB-/Stable (Downgraded from 'CRISIL BBB/Stable')
Short Term RatingCRISIL A3 (Downgraded from 'CRISIL A3+')
Note: None of the Directors on CRISIL Ratings Limited’s Board are members of rating committee and thus do not participate in discussion or assignment of any ratings. The Board of Directors also does not discuss any ratings at its meetings.
1 crore = 10 million
Refer to Annexure for Details of Instruments & Bank Facilities

Detailed Rationale

CRISIL Ratings has downgraded its ratings on the bank facilities of Uma Exports Ltd (UEL) to ‘CRISIL BBB-/Stable/CRISIL A3’ from ‘CRISIL BBB/Stable/CRISIL A3+’.

 

The downgrade reflects the drop in operating margin by about 150 basis points (bps) in fiscal 2024 indicated by earnings before interest, depreciation, tax and amortisation of around 0.97% in the first nine months. With exports coming down significantly following the Government of India’s ban on sales of certain food grains overseas, operating performance of UEL has been largely impacted resulting in estimated accruals of less than Rs 5 crore for fiscal 2024. Financial risk profile too, has weakened marked by expected interest cover of less than 2 times in fiscal 2024; interest cover has been 1.45 times in the first nine months.

 

The ratings continue to reflect the established market position of UEL in the agricultural commodities trading business, its comfortable capital structure and adequate risk management policy. These strengths are partially offset by exposure to regulatory risks and modest profitability.

Key Rating Drivers & Detailed Description

Strengths:

  • Strong market position: Presence of over 30 years in the agricultural commodities trading business has enabled the company to establish healthy relationships with farmers and dealers. It trades in pulses, rice, sugar, maize and other commodities. Scale of operations has remained stable marked by moderate revenue of around Rs 909 crore in the first nine months of fiscal 2024 and is estimated to close the year at Rs 1200-1300 crore.

 

  • Healthy capital structure: Lower reliance on external funds led to strong gearing of 0.65 time and comfortable total outside liabilities to adjusted networth ratio of 0.85 time, as on March 31, 2023. With no major debt enhancement plans and moderate accretion to reserve, capital structure is likely to remain stable over the medium term as well.

 

  • Sound risk management policy and efficient working capital management: Gross current assets, receivables and inventory were moderate at 66, 30 and 19 days, respectively, as on March 31, 2023. Receivables largely pertain to processing and inspection time as sales are on cash-on-delivery basis, which lowers the probability of bad debt. Though UEL deals in commodities that involve high price variation, the risk is mitigated by modest inventory. Around 90% of foreign exchange exposure is hedged through forward contracts, apart from the natural hedge available through imports (comprise 30-40% of the topline).

 

Weakness:

  • Exposure to regulatory risks and low operating margin: Trading in agricultural commodities, which are seasonal, exposes the company to fluctuations in acreage and yield and volatility in prices. However, as inventory is order-backed, price volatility is passed on to customers. Healthy relationships with suppliers mitigate risks related to availability. The company is also susceptible to changes in government regulations regarding trade and export of agricultural products, reflected in subdued operating margin estimated around 1% for the current fiscal because of muted export scenario for certain food grains. Improvement and revival in operating margin will remain a key monitorable over the medium term.

Liquidity: Adequate

Bank limit utilisation was low at 49% for the nine months through December 2023. Expected cash accrual of Rs 5-10 crore per fiscal over the medium term will help meet working capital requirement in the absence of any debt obligation.

Outlook: Stable

The company will continue to benefit from the extensive experience of its promoter and established relationships with customers and suppliers.

Rating Sensitivity factors

Upward factors

  • Sustained increase in scale and operating margin leading to accruals of more than Rs 15 crore.
  • Improvement in financial risk profile.

 

Downward factors

  • Drop in operating margin leading to interest cover of less than 1.3 times.
  • Considerable stretch in working capital cycle.

About the Company

UEL was established as a private limited company in 1987 by Mr Mukesh Khemka and was reconstituted as a closely held public limited company in 2010. The company trades in sugar; food grains such as rice, wheat, corn, sorghum and tea; and pulses and agricultural feed such as soybean meal and rice bran de-oiled cake. It exports to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Vietnam, Pakistan and other countries in South-east Asia and along the Persian Gulf. The company imports lentils, fava beans, black urad dal and tur dal from Canada, Australia and Burma to sell in the domestic market.

 

UEL is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Key Financial Indicators

As on / for the period ended March 31

 

9MFY24

2023

Operating income

Rs crore

909.66

1,433.25

Reported profit after tax (PAT)

Rs crore

1.92

26.70

PAT margin

%

0.21%

1.86

Adjusted debt/adjusted networth

Times

0.81

0.65

Interest coverage

Times

1.45

7.51

Any other information: Not applicable

Note on complexity levels of the rated instrument:
CRISIL Ratings` complexity levels are assigned to various types of financial instruments and are included (where applicable) in the 'Annexure - Details of Instrument' in this Rating Rationale.

CRISIL Ratings will disclose complexity level for all securities - including those that are yet to be placed - based on available information. The complexity level for instruments may be updated, where required, in the rating rationale published subsequent to the issuance of the instrument when details on such features are available.

For more details on the CRISIL Ratings` complexity levels please visit www.crisilratings.com. Users may also call the Customer Service Helpdesk with queries on specific instruments.

Annexure - Details of Instrument(s)

ISIN

Name of the instrument

Date of
Allotment

Coupon
Rate (%)

Maturity
Date

Issue size
(Rs. Crore)

Complexity
Level

Rating assigned
with outlook

NA

Cash Credit

NA

NA

NA

25

NA

CRISIL BBB-/Stable

NA

Export Packing Credit

NA

NA

NA

47

NA

CRISIL A3

Annexure - Rating History for last 3 Years
  Current 2024 (History) 2023  2022  2021  Start of 2021
Instrument Type Outstanding Amount Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Rating
Fund Based Facilities ST/LT 72.0 CRISIL BBB-/Stable / CRISIL A3   -- 09-10-23 CRISIL A3+ / CRISIL BBB/Stable 05-09-22 CRISIL BBB/Stable 07-06-21 CRISIL BBB/Stable CRISIL BBB/Stable
Non-Fund Based Facilities ST   --   --   --   --   -- CRISIL A3+
All amounts are in Rs.Cr.
Annexure - Details of Bank Lenders & Facilities
Facility Amount (Rs.Crore) Name of Lender Rating
Cash Credit 25 Union Bank of India CRISIL BBB-/Stable
Export Packing Credit 25 Union Bank of India CRISIL A3
Export Packing Credit 22 ICICI Bank Limited CRISIL A3
Criteria Details
Links to related criteria
CRISILs Approach to Financial Ratios
CRISILs Bank Loan Ratings - process, scale and default recognition
Criteria for rating trading companies
CRISILs Criteria for rating short term debt
Understanding CRISILs Ratings and Rating Scales

Media Relations
Analytical Contacts
Customer Service Helpdesk

Aveek Datta
Media Relations
CRISIL Limited
M: +91 99204 93912
B: +91 22 3342 3000
AVEEK.DATTA@crisil.com

Prakruti Jani
Media Relations
CRISIL Limited
M: +91 98678 68976
B: +91 22 3342 3000
PRAKRUTI.JANI@crisil.com

Rutuja Gaikwad 
Media Relations
CRISIL Limited
B: +91 22 3342 3000
Rutuja.Gaikwad@ext-crisil.com


Nitin Kansal
Director
CRISIL Ratings Limited
D:+91 124 672 2154
nitin.kansal@crisil.com


Argha Chanda
Associate Director
CRISIL Ratings Limited
D:+91 33 4011 8210
argha.chanda@crisil.com


NILABHRA DAS
Senior Rating Analyst
CRISIL Ratings Limited
B:+91 33 4011 8200
NILABHRA.DAS@crisil.com
Timings: 10.00 am to 7.00 pm
Toll free Number:1800 267 1301

For a copy of Rationales / Rating Reports:
CRISILratingdesk@crisil.com
 
For Analytical queries:
ratingsinvestordesk@crisil.com


 

Note for Media:
This rating rationale is transmitted to you for the sole purpose of dissemination through your newspaper/magazine/agency. The rating rationale may be used by you in full or in part without changing the meaning or context thereof but with due credit to CRISIL Ratings. However, CRISIL Ratings alone has the sole right of distribution (whether directly or indirectly) of its rationales for consideration or otherwise through any media including websites and portals.


About CRISIL Ratings Limited (A subsidiary of CRISIL Limited, an S&P Global Company)

CRISIL Ratings pioneered the concept of credit rating in India in 1987. With a tradition of independence, analytical rigour and innovation, we set the standards in the credit rating business. We rate the entire range of debt instruments, such as bank loans, certificates of deposit, commercial paper, non-convertible/convertible/partially convertible bonds and debentures, perpetual bonds, bank hybrid capital instruments, asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities, partial guarantees and other structured debt instruments. We have rated over 33,000 large and mid-scale corporates and financial institutions. We have also instituted several innovations in India in the rating business, including ratings for municipal bonds, partially guaranteed instruments and infrastructure investment trusts (InvITs).
 
CRISIL Ratings Limited ('CRISIL Ratings') is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CRISIL Limited ('CRISIL'). CRISIL Ratings Limited is registered in India as a credit rating agency with the Securities and Exchange Board of India ("SEBI").
 
For more information, visit www.crisilratings.com 

 



About CRISIL Limited

CRISIL is a leading, agile and innovative global analytics company driven by its mission of making markets function better. 

It is India’s foremost provider of ratings, data, research, analytics and solutions with a strong track record of growth, culture of innovation, and global footprint.

It has delivered independent opinions, actionable insights, and efficient solutions to over 100,000 customers through businesses that operate from India, the US, the UK, Argentina, Poland, China, Hong Kong and Singapore.

It is majority owned by S&P Global Inc, a leading provider of transparent and independent ratings, benchmarks, analytics and data to the capital and commodity markets worldwide.

For more information, visit www.crisil.com

Connect with us: TWITTER | LINKEDIN | YOUTUBE | FACEBOOK


CRISIL PRIVACY NOTICE
 
CRISIL respects your privacy. We may use your contact information, such as your name, address and email id to fulfil your request and service your account and to provide you with additional information from CRISIL. For further information on CRISIL's privacy policy please visit www.crisil.com.



DISCLAIMER

This disclaimer is part of and applies to each credit rating report and/or credit rating rationale ('report') that is provided by CRISIL Ratings Limited ('CRISIL Ratings'). To avoid doubt, the term 'report' includes the information, ratings and other content forming part of the report. The report is intended for the jurisdiction of India only. This report does not constitute an offer of services. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, nothing in the report is to be construed as CRISIL Ratings providing or intending to provide any services in jurisdictions where CRISIL Ratings does not have the necessary licenses and/or registration to carry out its business activities referred to above. Access or use of this report does not create a client relationship between CRISIL Ratings and the user.

We are not aware that any user intends to rely on the report or of the manner in which a user intends to use the report. In preparing our report we have not taken into consideration the objectives or particular needs of any particular user. It is made abundantly clear that the report is not intended to and does not constitute an investment advice. The report is not an offer to sell or an offer to purchase or subscribe for any investment in any securities, instruments, facilities or solicitation of any kind to enter into any deal or transaction with the entity to which the report pertains. The report should not be the sole or primary basis for any investment decision within the meaning of any law or regulation (including the laws and regulations applicable in the US).

Ratings from CRISIL Ratings are statements of opinion as of the date they are expressed and not statements of fact or recommendations to purchase, hold or sell any securities/instruments or to make any investment decisions. Any opinions expressed here are in good faith, are subject to change without notice, and are only current as of the stated date of their issue. CRISIL Ratings assumes no obligation to update its opinions following publication in any form or format although CRISIL Ratings may disseminate its opinions and analysis. The rating contained in the report is not a substitute for the skill, judgment and experience of the user, its management, employees, advisors and/or clients when making investment or other business decisions. The recipients of the report should rely on their own judgment and take their own professional advice before acting on the report in any way. CRISIL Ratings or its associates may have other commercial transactions with the entity to which the report pertains.

Neither CRISIL Ratings nor its affiliates, third-party providers, as well as their directors, officers, shareholders, employees or agents (collectively, 'CRISIL Ratings Parties') guarantee the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the report, and no CRISIL Ratings Party shall have any liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein, regardless of the cause, or for the results obtained from the use of any part of the report. EACH CRISIL RATINGS PARTY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, SUITABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE. In no event shall any CRISIL Ratings Party be liable to any party for any direct, indirect, incidental, exemplary, compensatory, punitive, special or consequential damages, costs, expenses, legal fees or losses (including, without limitation, lost income or lost profits and opportunity costs) in connection with any use of any part of the report even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

CRISIL Ratings may receive compensation for its ratings and certain credit-related analyses, normally from issuers or underwriters of the instruments, facilities, securities or from obligors. Public ratings and analysis by CRISIL Ratings, as are required to be disclosed under the regulations of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (and other applicable regulations, if any), are made available on its website, www.crisilratings.com (free of charge). Reports with more detail and additional information may be available for subscription at a fee - more details about ratings by CRISIL Ratings are available here: www.crisilratings.com.

CRISIL Ratings and its affiliates do not act as a fiduciary. While CRISIL Ratings has obtained information from sources it believes to be reliable, CRISIL Ratings does not perform an audit and undertakes no duty of due diligence or independent verification of any information it receives and/or relies on in its reports. CRISIL Ratings has established policies and procedures to maintain the confidentiality of certain non-public information received in connection with each analytical process. CRISIL Ratings has in place a ratings code of conduct and policies for managing conflict of interest. For details please refer to:
https://www.crisil.com/en/home/our-businesses/ratings/regulatory-disclosures/highlighted-policies.html.

Rating criteria by CRISIL Ratings are generally available without charge to the public on the CRISIL Ratings public website, www.crisilratings.com. For latest rating information on any instrument of any company rated by CRISIL Ratings, you may contact the CRISIL Ratings desk at crisilratingdesk@crisil.com, or at (0091) 1800 267 1301.

This report should not be reproduced or redistributed to any other person or in any form without prior written consent from CRISIL Ratings.

All rights reserved @ CRISIL Ratings Limited. CRISIL Ratings is a wholly owned subsidiary of CRISIL Limited.

 

 

CRISIL Ratings uses the prefix 'PP-MLD' for the ratings of principal-protected market-linked debentures (PPMLD) with effect from November 1, 2011, to comply with the SEBI circular, "Guidelines for Issue and Listing of Structured Products/Market Linked Debentures". The revision in rating symbols for PPMLDs should not be construed as a change in the rating of the subject instrument. For details on CRISIL Ratings' use of 'PP-MLD' please refer to the notes to Rating scale for Debt Instruments and Structured Finance Instruments at the following link: https://www.crisil.com/en/home/our-businesses/ratings/credit-ratings-scale.html