Ahmed El Sheikh, president and CEO, PepsiCo India, said, “PepsiCo is committed to growing its food and beverage business sustainably in India. We have a long relationship with the people of Uttar Pradesh. As we look to double our snacks business over the next few years, we intend to invest close to Rs 514-crore to expand our footprint in Uttar Pradesh.”

The investment plan is in line with PepsiCo’s goal to double its snacks business in the country by 2022, and it is expected to help create over 1,500 jobs.

As part of this project, PepsiCo India would expand its backward integration with local farmers and help bring agricultural best practices to enable socio-economic growth for potato farmers in Uttar Pradesh. To enable the supply chain, the company will set up a cold storage facility and this would also give an impetus to the development of ancillary and other support industries in the state.

“Agriculture is at the heart of PepsiCo and our farmer friends are the backbone of our business. As we expand our operations, we will look forward to a fruitful association that will not only help create jobs and enable ancillary industries but also ensure the socio-economic progress of potato farmers in the state," added El Sheikh.

For the project’s establishment, PepsiCo has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with representatives of the Uttar Pradesh government in the presence of the home minister of India, Amit Shah and chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath, during an investor summit event in Uttar Pradesh.

The project will also expand the company’s footprint of collaborative farming for potato in the state. All the potato used in Lay’s and Uncle Chips is grown in India and sourced from Indian farmers.

PepsiCo India’s Agri programme benefits over 24,000 farmers across 14 states through various agri and sourcing initiatives. Through its 360 degrees farmer connect initiatives for potato cultivation, PepsiCo provides training and seed support, advanced plant protection programs, and assured buy-back with reasonable returns.