Guwahati, Sep 10 (IANS) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday inaugurated PepsiCo India’s Rs 787-crore food manufacturing facility at Banekuchi in Nalbari, describing the plant as a major step in the state’s industrialisation and a boost for local farmers and employment.

Chief Minister Sarma recalled that he had laid the foundation stone of the facility on September 3, 2023, along with the then Industries Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary.

“In 2023, I laid the foundation stone of the PepsiCo plant, ushering in what was a new era of industrialisation. Today, I returned to Nalbari to inaugurate the Rs 778 crore plant,” he said in a social media post.

The facility is expected to generate more than 200 direct and around 500 indirect jobs, with more than 75 per cent of its workforce comprising women.

Around 120 women will also receive digital literacy training, the Chief Minister said.

Chief Minister Sarma said the plant would give Assam a larger role in the country’s food manufacturing sector, noting that products made at Banekuchi would now be supplied to consumers across India.

The facility is also expected to create an organised and assured market for potato growers in Assam.

Chief Minister Sarma said PepsiCo currently requires around 30,000 metric tonnes of potatoes, with demand projected to rise to 70,000 tonnes by 2030.

Around 5,000 local farmers and their families are expected to benefit from the initiative.

To support farmers in procuring specialised potato seeds, the Assam government, PepsiCo and the State Bank of India have entered into an understanding to facilitate financing through Kisan Credit Cards.

The state is also planning a Rs 35-crore cold storage facility with a capacity of around 10,000 tonnes to strengthen the potato supply chain and reduce post-harvest losses.

Chief Minister Sarma said the plant demonstrated how industrial investment could generate benefits beyond employment by creating stable markets for agricultural produce and supporting local livelihoods.

He added that Assam was working to attract investments across sectors while strengthening its industrial ecosystem.

The Chief Minister said the state’s broader industrial push was aimed at creating sufficient employment opportunities within Assam so that young people would not be compelled to migrate outside the state in search of jobs.

The PepsiCo facility, he added, represents the growing potential of Assam as a destination for large-scale manufacturing and agri-based industry.

–IANS

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