Guwahati, 6th September: Food and beverage giant PepsiCo has unveiled plans to inject Rs 770 crore in Nalbari, Assam for the establishment of a cutting-edge facility dedicated to manufacturing snacking products.
This major investment is set to usher in a wave of positive changes for the region, including the creation of more than 450 job opportunities and a significant improvement in the livelihoods of 5000 farmers.
Assam’s Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, enthusiastically shared the news on his X (formerly Twitter) account.
In a flashback to 2020, the former Industry Minister, Chandra Mohan Patowary, revealed that PepsiCo India had initially proposed an investment of Rs 400 crore to construct a greenfield project for snacking product production in the state.
An official press release from the Assam Government disclosed that Patowary held discussions with a delegation from PepsiCo India, including Viraj Chouhan, Chief of Government Affairs and Communications Officer for India, Rahul Sharma, Public Policy and Government Affairs Officer, and Nitin Jindal, Associate Director- Business Planning, to deliberate on the proposal.
PepsiCo representatives elaborated on their strategy, highlighting their commitment to contract farming, which includes offering seeds to farmers and subsequently purchasing matured agricultural produce from them. Additionally, the company will provide extensive support and guidance to local farmers.
Notably, PepsiCo India has a rich history of collaboration with over 24,000 farmers in 13 different states across India.