PepsiCo has commissioned a new greenfield foods plant — to be spread over 29 acres in Kosi Kalan, Mathura, Uttar Pradesh — following its commitment to the Government’s Atmanirbhar Abhiyan vision. With an investment of Rs 814 crore, this will be Pepsico’s largest greenfield investment in the manufacturing space in India.
With this move, Pepsico claims that around 1500 direct and indirect job opportunities will be created in Uttar Pradesh with a target of employing at least 30 per cent women at the plant. This will be the Company’s first ‘Make and Move’ factory in India, which will cater to the growing demand for Lay’s chips in the country and the state. Pesico has planned to source 1,50,000 tonnes of potatoes from the state, annually, and will also connect with around 5,000 local farmers in the state for the same.
India is a strategic market and an engine of growth for PepsiCo in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia (AMESA) region. “The plant will implement the best of what PepsiCo has to offer globally, in terms of technology, sustainability and diversity, and will contribute to the State’s overall development through employment opportunities and strong agri-linkages,” says Eugene Willemsen, CEO, Africa, Middle East and South Asia, PepsiCo.
The plant was inaugurated by Yogi Adityanath, chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. The ceremony was also addressed by Satish Mahana, infrastructure and industrial development minister, Uttar Pradesh government; Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary, minister – dairy development, animal husbandry, fisheries, Uttar Pradesh government; Navneet Singh Chahal, district magistrate, Mathura; Ahmed ElSheikh, president, PepsiCo India and Willemsen.
According to ElSheikh, “Commissioning of the plant marks PepsiCo’s single largest investment of Rs 814 crore in the country. The support of the UP government and the local administration has been instrumental in the commissioning of our state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in less than two years”. This is a step towards the ’Unnati Ki Sajhedhari’ with Uttar Pradesh.
