PepsiCo India Reports Robust First-Half Growth, Plans Food Manufacturing Plant in Tamil Nadu.

PepsiCo India reported robust growth in the first half of the year despite unseasonal rains and the delayed onset of summer in parts of the country, with the company also advancing its manufacturing expansion plans as it eyes a new food production facility in Tamil Nadu.

The snacks and beverages maker, which has committed investments of ₹5,700 crore in India through 2030, is exploring the establishment of a food manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu after recently commissioning a flavour manufacturing plant in Madhya Pradesh.

Speaking on the sidelines of a FICCI event, Jagrut Kotecha, Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo India & South Asia, said the company recorded broad-based growth across its portfolio in both rural and urban markets during the first six months of the year.

"The first half has been good and we saw broad-based growth across portfolios spanning both rural and urban regions. As far as the second half is concerned, I know there are uncertainties but I think that consumption is still robust; we have not seen any signals of a consumption slowdown. Of course, we will need to monitor monsoons to see how rural develops, but we remain cautiously optimistic about the second half of the year," Kotecha said.

On the impact of fresh geopolitical tensions in West Asia on packaging costs, Kotecha said the company continues to monitor developments closely.

"Those kinds of pressure-points remain depending on how circumstances evolve, but I think the whole ecosystem has also evolved over the past few months. We will keep monitoring the situation," he said.