The adverse economic impact of the Covid second wave is expected to be limited to the first quarter of this fiscal, said S Viji, Chairman, Sundaram Finance.

“The tapering of the second wave coupled with aggressive vaccination drive has brightened the near-term prospects for the economy, with the adverse economic impact expected to be limited to the first quarter of FY22,” Viji said while addressing the 68th annual general meeting of the company virtually on Monday.

“The agricultural sector has turned buoyant with a near-normal monsoon, robust procurement by the government and improved Kharif sowing,” he added.

The re-establishment of GST collections to ₹1 lakh+ crore levels, increase in fertiliser sales, improved e-way bill activity, increase in power and fuel consumption, and growth in eight core industries all point to a sequential improvement in economic activity from the disruptions induced by the Covid second wave.

Also read: Sundaram Finance posts 16 per cent rise in Q1 net profit at ₹192 crore

However, the country’s ability to mobilise vaccines at scale, maintain the pace of vaccinations, and containment of the virus spread, especially as new variants emerge, will all be determinants of consumer confidence sustaining and consequently of economic recovery,” he said.

Festival season for auto

“While the automotive sector has been facing production constraints due to the global shortage of semiconductors, the recent pandemic-driven lockdowns in East Asia are compounding the challenge. This, coupled with higher input prices on fuel and commodities, presents the risk of a dampener to the upcoming festival season”, said Viji.

Focus areas

Given the level of uncertainty and volatility, Sundaram Finance to focus on striking a judicious balance between growth, quality and profitability (GQP), the time-tested trinity that has served the company well.

“Key priorities will be to support loyal customers tide over the aftermath of the Covid crisis by deploying all measures made available by the regulator and the government, drive collections and recovery efforts with a view to maintaining the traditional asset quality levels and preserving capital, and prudently pursuing growth opportunities that emerge as economic activity resumes post second wave across the well-understood and diversified asset class base that Sundaram Finance has established.” he stated.

Emerging growth areas

As the economic activity revives, the company expects the commercial vehicle segment to bounce back strongly. “In the CV space, in addition to growth in the M & HCV space, we believe that the SCV and ICV segments will continue to offer growth opportunities. In the passenger vehicle segment, we see a long run way as the consumer market matures and grows in India,” said Rajiv Lochan, Managing Director, Sundaram Finance.

The company also sees favourable growth opportunities in construction equipment and tractor segments due to heightened activities across infrastructure and the rural and agricultural sectors on the back of government push.

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