Ajinomoto Co., Japan's major seasoning maker, said Monday its consolidated net balance in the first half of the 2001 business year turned to the black because of strong sales of nutritional foods and medicine.

The company posted a group net profit of 16.35 billion yen in the April-September period compared with a 20.24 billion yen loss a year earlier.

Its group pretax profit surged 27.9 percent to 25.34 billion yen on sales of 461.68 billion yen, up 4.7 percent.

The company earned a net 25.16 yen per share in the first half against a net loss of 31.16 yen a year earlier, it said.

Strong domestic sales of medicine and nutritional foods in the period more than offset declines in sales of seasoning, foods and beverages, it said.

In overseas markets, amino acid for animal consumption sold well in areas such as Europe. Sales of foodstuffs were also strong in Asian markets outside Japan.

Ajinomoto plans to maintain an interim dividend of 5 yen per share.

For the full year to next March, the company expects group net profit to come to 30 billion yen compared with the loss of 11.5 billion yen registered in the previous year.

It estimates pretax profit for the current business year at 53 billion yen, up 19.6 percent, on sales of 920 billion yen, up 1.3 percent.