Assam: PepsiCo India Opens Rs 750-Crore Food Manufacturing Facility in Nalbari

A CORRESPONDENT

Nalbari: Assam took another significant step towards industrial development on Thursday with the formal inauguration of PepsiCo India's state-of-the-art food manufacturing facility at Banekuchi in Nalbari district. Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma inaugurated the facility and formally launched its production operations.

Built at an estimated investment of Rs 750 crore, the facility is expected to give a major boost to industrial activity in Nalbari and the lower Assam region while creating new opportunities in employment, agriculture, transportation, supply chains and other allied sectors.

The foundation stone and land-puja for the project were conducted by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in September 2023. The construction of the facility was subsequently completed within around three years, paving the way for commercial production.

Following the inauguration, production of potato chips using potatoes sourced from Assam has commenced at the facility. The project is expected to create a significant market for locally grown potatoes and encourage farmers in the state to take up potato cultivation on a larger scale.

According to information shared at the inauguration programme, around 5,000 farmers are expected to benefit from the project. The facility will require a substantial quantity of potatoes every year, creating an opportunity for local farmers to increase production and improve their earnings by adopting scientific and modern cultivation practices.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma urged farmers of Assam to focus more on potato cultivation and take advantage of the emerging market created by large food-processing industries. Greater integration between agriculture and organised food-processing industries, he said, could strengthen the rural economy and provide farmers with better avenues for income generation.

The PepsiCo facility is also expected to generate both direct and indirect employment. Besides jobs within the manufacturing unit, opportunities are likely to emerge in transportation, logistics, agricultural supply, packaging, services and other related activities, providing new avenues for local youth.

The establishment of a major food-processing facility by PepsiCo is being viewed as an important development in Assam's efforts to attract large-scale industrial investment. The project is expected to strengthen the state's manufacturing ecosystem and contribute to the economic development of Nalbari and the wider Lower Assam region.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by Assam ministers Biswajit Daimary and Jayanta Mallabaruah, former Assam minister and Tihu MLA Chandra Mohan Patowary, Barkhetri MLA Narayan Deka, MLA Tarang Gogoi and PepsiCo India & South Asia Chief Executive Officer Jagrut Kotecha.

Nalbari Deputy Commissioner Nibedan Das Patowary, Senior Superintendent of Police Vivekananda Das and several senior officials of the district administration and police administration were also present at the event.

The project has been welcomed as a significant milestone for Nalbari, particularly because it connects large-scale industrial production with the state's agricultural sector. Local residents have expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister for facilitating the establishment of such a major industrial project in the district.

Meanwhile, towards the end of the programme, supporters of Tihu MLA Chandra Mohan Patowary raised a demand before the Chief Minister for Patowary to be inducted into the state Cabinet. Responding to the demand in a light-hearted manner, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma reportedly told the supporters, "Patowary has to be made a minister; you don't have to worry about these things."

The inauguration of the PepsiCo facility marks an important development in Nalbari's industrial landscape. With food processing, agriculture and employment linked through the project, the facility is expected to play a significant role in strengthening the local economy and contributing to Assam's broader industrial growth in the coming years.

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