Cadbury India 'open' to buying local conf cos

LONDON: Cadbury India Ltd, the local unit of the London-based chocolate maker, is ''open'' to buying local confectionery companies, Managing Director Anand Kripalu told reporters in Mumbai on Wednesday.

India's total confectionary market is estimated at about Rs 23 billion ($568 million) with a volume of about 1,45,000 tons a year, according to information on Cadbury India's Web site.

Hard-boiled candy makes up 20 per cent, while toffees and soft-centered sweets account for 13 per cent, the Web site said.

Cadbury India is a unit of Cadbury Schweppes Plc.