PepsiCo announces Maharashtra plans as Indra Nooyi begins India tour

PepsiCo and the Maharashtra government entered a letter of intent for mutual collaboration in skill development of workers in food processing plants, besides mordernising Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), as the head of the global food and beverage giant, Indra Nooyi, began her weeklong tour to India on Tuesday.

 

The American multinational corporation also proposed to create an integrated citrus cluster in the state to improve the livelihoods and security for farmers over the long term, the company said in a statement.

 

Nooyi, PepsiCo chair and chief executive officer, landed in Mumbai in the afternoon, where she met the local team headed by D Shivakumar, chairman and CEO, PepsiCo India.

 

Later, in a meeting with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, she reiterated her company’s commitment to invest further in the state, the statement said.

 

PepsiCo India has already invested Rs 180 crore in a citrus processing facility in Nanded, Maharashtra.

 

“Senior officials from both sides are expected to continue these discussions in subsequent meetings next month,” according to the statement.

 

With the Mumbai leg completed, attention will now shift to New Delhi, where Nooyi will spend the rest of the week, reviewing operations and meeting government officials. Pepsico is headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana. On her list is a crucial meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with whom she is expected to discuss PepsiCo’s investments in the country, her drive to cut sodium and sugar in food and beverages, and the government’s remonetisation drive. About a fortnight ago, Nooyi had said the demonetisation of high-value notes had a significant impact on the company’s India business in Q4 (of 2016). Lingering effects of the government’s demonetisation drive would be felt in the first quarter of 2017 too, she had observed.

 

“Our hope is that by the time Q2 (of 2017) rolls by, we would be through the bulk of the demonetisation challenges,” Nooyi, who is the only Indian-American in President Donald Trump’s policy forum, said.