Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: PepsiCo India officially opened a Rs 787-crore food plant in Banekuchi, Nalbari, on September 10. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma attended the launch. The facility promises over 200 direct jobs and 500 indirect roles. Women will fill roughly 75 percent of the workforce. The state government will provide digital literacy training to 120 women.
Sarma acknowledged former Industries Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary for securing the project after laying the foundation stone on September 3, 2023. The plant marks a shift in production geography. "When you buy a packet of chips, you usually see that it has been manufactured in Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka or Maharashtra. From now on, you will see packets manufactured in Banekuchi, Assam, and these products will travel across the country," Sarma said.
The plant aims to scale up potato demand. PepsiCo currently needs 30,000 metric tonnes annually, but that figure should hit 70,000 metric tonnes by 2030. A partnership between the state, PepsiCo, and the State Bank of India will help 5,000 farmers get better seeds via Kisan Credit Cards. Officials also plan to build a Rs 35-crore cold storage unit with 10,000-tonne capacity.
Land remains a major headache. The government now plans to build land banks and industrial estates near highways and rail stations. Sarma wants to stop the exodus of local labor. He noted that the state recently repatriated 50 bodies of workers who died while employed in Karnataka, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Kerala. Total state investments currently hover around Rs 3 lakh crore across energy, mining, and electronics. These projects could create 100,000 jobs.
Updated at 10th September 2026 at 10:15pm
PepsiCo India and South Asia CEO Jagrut Kotecha clarified the production timeline, noting the firm sourced 7,000 tonnes of potatoes this year from 600 local growers. The company aims to ramp up procurement to 30,000 tonnes by 2027, with a long-term goal of hitting 60,000 tonnes annually within five years. To hit these numbers, the company plans to grow its network from the current 600 farmers to 5,000.
The company is bringing its Pragati program to the state, aiming to onboard 2,200 local agri-entrepreneurs who will push better farming techniques and higher yields. Kotecha expects this network to eventually reach one lakh farmers across Assam. Beyond potatoes, the company is reviving traditional Eri silk production in a local Nalbari village as part of its corporate social responsibility efforts.
Kotecha also clarified the workforce training, noting that 120 women recruited for the plant completed a 12-week stint at ITI Nalbari before stepping onto the floor. While the state proposed a smaller facility, Kotecha pointed to plans for a larger 80,000-tonne capacity cold storage unit to support the expanding supply chain.
Updated at 11th September 2026 at 1:48pm
PepsiCo India and South Asia CEO Jagrut Kotecha clarified that the company sourced 7,000 tonnes of potatoes this year from a pilot group of 600 local growers. The firm intends to scale procurement to 30,000 tonnes by 2027, aiming for 60,000 tonnes annually within five years. To hit those targets, the company expects to expand its network to 5,000 farmers.
The company is bringing its Pragati program to the state to onboard 2,200 local agri-entrepreneurs tasked with improving farming techniques and yields. Kotecha expects this network to eventually reach one lakh farmers across Assam. Beyond the potato push, the firm is working to revive traditional Eri silk production in a local Nalbari village as part of its corporate social responsibility efforts.
Kotecha confirmed that the 120 women recruited for the plant completed a 12-week training stint at ITI Nalbari before hitting the production floor. While initial plans suggested a smaller setup, Kotecha announced that the company is now eyeing a larger 80,000-tonne capacity cold storage unit to handle the expanding supply chain.
Separately, bank employees held a nationwide strike on September 11, with protests in Kokrajhar. The union is demanding a five-day work week and has threatened further walkouts on September 28, 29, and 30 if their conditions remain unmet.
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