KOLKATA, India -- Tata Steel, the world's sixth-largest steelmaker, sees a 20% growth in its output in the 2009/10 financial year and expects a low impact from the global slowdown, its chief said on Friday.

"We want to produce 20% more at 1.5 million tonnes in FY10," Managing Director B. Muthuraman told reporters. The company had reported sales of 5.23 million tonnes of steel in 2008/09, which was 9% above the previous year, he said.

"The negative impact of the global recession in India is much less. Despite global recession, demand will grow 4% to 5% in India. Even if the market grows at 4% to 5%, we will gain in market share owing to our inherent strength," he said.

The company plans to raise capacity at its Jamshedpur plant to 10 million tonnes by April 2011, from 6.5 million tonnes now at a cost of 150-billion rupees (US$3-billion).

Mr. Muthuraman said the company would start work on developing a steel project in the eastern state of Orissa next month. It is also buying land and has applied for supply of iron ore for another plant at Saraikela in Jharkhand state.

He said the company is developing one iron ore project each in Canada and South Africa and a coal project in Mozambique.

In addition, the company's Anglo-Dutch unit Corus is cutting jobs. "The restructuring of operations is a continuous process. W