(MENAFN- KNN India) New Delhi, Sep 26 (KNN) Three Coca-Cola bottlers in India have committed to invest Rs 25,760 crore (USD 2.96 billion) to strengthen the country's food processing infrastructure.

The investment will be made through greenfield and brownfield projects across nine states.

The three companies involved are SLMG Beverages, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (the wholly-owned bottling arm of Coca-Cola), and the Kandhari Group of Companies. They have signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with the Ministry of Food Processing Industries to take the plan forward.

According to Paritosh Ladhani, joint managing director of SLMG Beverages, the total investment will be spread across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Jammu. SLMG Beverages, Coca-Cola's largest bottler in India, will contribute around Rs 8,000 crore.

The projects aim to create significant employment opportunities, generating 30,000 direct jobs and nearly 300,000 indirect jobs. Work on these projects will begin this year, with full implementation targeted by 2030.

The Ministry of Food Processing Industries has assured full support to ensure smooth regulatory clearances for the proposed facilities.

India has become an important growth market for Coca-Cola, ranking as its fifth-largest globally. With rising demand and consumption, the company and its bottling partners continue to expand their footprint in the country.

This investment marks one of Coca-Cola's largest long-term commitments to India's food and beverage sector and is expected to boost both rural and urban supply chains.

Industry officials say the move underlines the potential of India's food processing industry, which is drawing global attention due to its scale, diversity, and growing consumer base.

(KNN Bureau)

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