PepsiCo Chief Nooyi calls on PM Modi, talks farmers’ interests

The Dollar Business Bureau 

PepsiCo Chairperson Indra Nooyi on Thursday called on Prime Prime Minister Narendra Modi to offer her company’s voluntary participation in India’s developmental projects, especially towards uplifting economic conditions of the farmers.

“As I shared with Prime Minister Modi, PepsiCo is well positioned to help the government deliver on the national development goals he has outlined for farmers and supporting their livelihoods,” Nooyi said in a statement.

“The Prime Minister and I had an engaging dialogue on how PepsiCo is making investments to grow, process and use more Indian-grown fruit for juice in our sparkling beverages,” she said.

She also discussed with the prime minister the company’s plans of manufacturing new healthy products by using local recipes. “We also discussed our launch of new Quaker Oats products that take traditional recipes and add in whole grain Quaker Oats to help Indians start their day in a healthy way,'' Nooyi added.

In 2013, PepsiCo came up with a Rs.33,000 crore investment plan to more than double its business capacity in the Indian market by 2020.

Nooyi’s meeting with Modi came at a moment when the retailers from two Indian states, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, had imposed a temporary ban on the sale of Pepsi and Coca-Cola to favour the local products.

Tirunelveli District Consumer Protection Association secretary DA Prabhkar had filed a petition in Madras High Court, accusing the two beverages makers of drawing waters from a river in Tamil Nadu at subsidised rates, at the expense of the farmers’ interest.

Tamil Nadu Traders Associations (FTNTA) and the Tamil Nadu Traders Associations Forum (TNTAF) argued that the foreign-made drinks are unhealthy and that the association would encourage Indian manufacturing, juices and soft drinks.

The Madras High Court, however, quashed the petition allowing Pepsi and Coca-Cola to draw water from the river for their bottling plants.