In a bid to give boost to economy and generate employment the Uttar Pradesh government has given multinational company PepsiCo permission to set up an Rs 814 crore potato chips plant at Kosi in Mathura district. Officials said the unit would generate employment of over 1500 people.
The UP State Industrial Development Authority (UPSIDA) has allotted 36 acres of land for the plant. Commercial production of the plant is likely to begin by the middle of 2021. PepsiCo India President, Ahmed El Sheikh, said the company had planned to invest Rs 500 crore for the project. “It was only recently that the amount was increased to Rs 814 crore,” he said.
The company plans to procure 60,000 tonnes of potato annually from local markets.
UP Industrial Development Minister Satish Mahana said PepsiCo has been working in Uttar Pradesh since 1990 and has been producing carbonated soft drinks and non-carbonated beverages at many places in the state. Different units of the company are running in Greater Noida, Kosi, Sathria-Jaunpur, Kanpur Dehat-Jaunpur and Hardoi. This is the first time that PepsiCo is going to set up a greenfield project in UP itself.
Earlier this year, the UP government had cleared land hurdles for the global food and beverage major for then proposed Rs 500 crore project. The state cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Yogi Adityanath had given its nod to a ‘letter of comfort’ (LoC) for the proposed greenfield project under the UP Industrial Investment and Employment Promotion Policy 2017.