Inspired by Government of India Atmanirbhar vision, PepsiCo India commissioned its greenfield foods plant, spread over 29 acres in Kosi Kalan, Mathura in Uttar Pradesh.
The plant was inaugurated by Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath. The launch ceremony was also addressed by Satish Mahana, Infrastructure and Industrial Development Minister, Uttar Pradesh Government Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary, Dairy Development, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries Minister, Uttar Pradesh Government Navneet Singh Chahal, District Magistrate, Mathura; Eugene Willemsen, CEO, Africa, Middle East, South Asia, PepsiCo, and Ahmed ElSheikh, President, PepsiCo India.
Set up with an investment of Rs 814 crore, the Kosi Kalan foods plant in Mathura marks the company’s largest greenfield investment in manufacturing in India. It is also the company’s first ‘Make and Move’ factory, which will cater to the growing demand for its iconic Lay’s potato chips brand. The state-of-the-art foods plant aligns with Government of Uttar Pradesh’s industrialisation-led growth agenda.
The greenfield plant strengthens the company’s ‘Winning with Purpose’ philosophy of driving sustainable accelerated growth and will create over 1,500 direct and indirect job opportunities in the state. It will also champion diversity with a target of at least 30% women employees. Another key aspect of the Kosi Kalan plant is its strong linkage with agriculture. The company intends to source 1,50,000 tonnes of potatoes annually from the State and has plans to develop a strong connect with over 5,000 local farmers.
Speaking at the inauguration, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, said, “The state of Uttar Pradesh has taken rapid strides in becoming Atmanirbhar by focussing on reforms and industry-friendly policies. All such efforts have led to UP being ranked No. 2 in ease of doing business in India leading to greater employment opportunities and an increase in farmer incomes. I would like to congratulate PepsiCo India for opening its foods plant in less than two years. We are positive this ‘Unnati Ki Sajhedhari’ will contribute to the progress of the State.”
Highlighting the rising investors’ interest in Uttar Pradesh, Satish Mahana, Infrastructure and Industrial Development Minister, said, “Our mission is to make Uttar Pradesh a leading state in terms of ‘Ease of Doing’ Business’. To make that a reality, we have introduced many industry-friendly reforms, over the last few years, which have made the State a favourable investment destination. The MoU between PepsiCo and State Government was signed in July 2019 and within six months land was allocated to the company for the new plant. In January 2020, the pandemic hit India and despite the lockdown and subsequent challenges, State Government and PepsiCo India worked closely together to ensure the company’s greenfield project was operational in less than two years. This is a testimony of PepsiCo’s commitment to the State and the Government’s commitment to make Uttar Pradesh an industrial hub.”
According to Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary, Dairy Development, Animal Husbandry, Fisheries Minister, Uttar Pradesh Government, said, “Uttar Pradesh Government under the leadership of Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath has implemented many industry-friendly policies and agricultural reforms that have created employment and investment opportunities in the state. The Launch of PepsiCo India’s foods plant in Kosi Kalan, Mathura, is a testament to this conducive business environment. We are confident that the new foods plant will spur economic growth locally and across the State of Uttar Pradesh.”
Eugene Willemsen, CEO, Africa, Middle East, and South Asia, PepsiCo, said, “India continues to be a strategic market and an engine of growth for PepsiCo in Africa, Middle East, and South Asia (AMESA), region. No partnership with India can truly be complete without collaborating with Uttar Pradesh, home to one-sixth of its citizens. We are proud to significantly scale up this partnership of progress by launching our greenfield foods plant in Mathura. The plant will implement the best of what PepsiCo has to offer globally in terms of technology, sustainability & diversity, and will contribute to the State’s overall development through employment opportunities and strong Agri-linkages.”
Ahmed ElSheikh, president, PepsiCo India, said, “The launch of our new foods plant in Kosi Kalan, Mathura is in line with the spirit of Atmanirbhar Bharat. Commissioning of the foods plant marks PepsiCo’s single largest investment of INR 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. We are proud to strengthen our ’Unnati Ki Sajhedhari’ with the State of Uttar Pradesh.”
The company India has developed Kosi Kalan, Mathura foods plant, featuring next-generation technologies. The company will also commission a state-of-the-art cold storage warehouse for an improved supply chain in the State. The cold storage technology will increase the shelf life of potatoes substantially.
Further, staying true to ‘Winning with Purpose’ philosophy, the foods plant will deploy the best of sustainability practices leveraging investment into advanced technologies. It also has plans to progressively transition to significant renewable energy usage in the near future.