Chandigarh, May 11: Pepsi Co India has decided to revive its citrus project in Punjab, after a gap of more than a decade.
A Pepsi Co delegation, led by its Chairman and CEO India Shiv Shivakumar and Vice President Global Procurement V D Sharma, met state Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh Wednesday to discuss major expansion and investment plans in the state, an official spokesman said here.
The delegation showed interest in collaborating with the state government to revive the horticulture projects initiated during Captain Amarinder’s previous tenure, besides exploring the possibility of sourcing citrus fruits for their juices and concentrates from the state, he said.
PepsiCo has also shown interest in investing Rs 500 crore through a partner to set up a juice concentrate and soft drink production plant in Pathankot, he said.
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The chief minister, while reiterating his government’s commitment to farm diversification to improve the lot of the state’s beleaguered farming community, immediately directed Additional Chief Secretary, Horticulture, Himmat Singh to work out the modalities for the citrus project in collaboration with PepsiCo.
The chief minister urged the delegation to explore opportunities for the farmers of south Punjab to be a part of the project while directing the Horticulture department to give liberal subsidies for schemes like drip irrigation.
He also asked the department to prepare a comprehensive action plan to adequately enhance the capacities of the two existing Punjab Agro juicing plants, at Abohar and Hoshiarpur, to meet the juicing demands of Pepis Co.
News Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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