Pepsico turns health-concious, to launch new milk

Chennai: With people becoming increasingly health conscious and shifting towards fruit juices and milk based drinks, global cola major Pepsico is looking to launch new milk or soya-based drinks, Indra K Nooyi, chairman and CEO, Pepsico said here Saturday.

"The full sugar drinks are growing. Alongside the zero sugar drinks like the Diet Pepsi and speciality drinks like Gatorade and fruit juices are also logging increased sales. We will soon launch a milk or soya based drink," Nooyi said.

However she didn't commit any time frame for the new launch.

The launch of the proposed drink would put Pepsico in direct competition with Nestle, Amul, Britannia, Heritage and several other regional players in India.

On her annual visit to the city, Nooyi elaborated over the company's India vision, "The Indian operation is very small. However it is a promising market for us. India, China and the Pacific Rim countries have a huge population and they are important markets for us."

As part of the company's effort at increasing productivity of the farmers, the company has initiated a project called Citrus Development Programme with the Punjab Agri Export Corporation.

"We would like to make India a global source for orange juice concentrate, similar to Florida and Brazil," she said.

In line with the corporate motto "performance with purpose", Nooyi said the company is undertaking various community initiatives like Pepsico-assisted Pammal waste management facility.

"Ones life and work do not exist in separate compartments," she remarked.

In the area of water conservation and replenishing the company is propagating direct seeding of paddy rather than conventional transplantation from a nursery.

According to her, all Pepsico plants use just one third of the water than what they did five years ago.

Asked to do a self-appraisal of her performance as a CEO she said, "On the objective front, the top and bottom line has grown. The company board has no complaints against me."

Abhiram Seth, executive director, exports & external affairs, Pepsi Foods said the company is having dialogues with various state governments to propagate citrus fruit cultivation so that the income of the farmer goes up.

The citrus project, if successful, would also benefit Pepsico India as it currently imports all its fruit concentrate needs.

"We have set up a huge nursery that can produce 6 million plants. We have imported 32 varieties of germplasm. Farmers can select 16 varieties of rootstock and 32 varieties of citrus."

The company has taken over the 400 tonne per day fruit processing plant at Hoshiarpur in Punjab on job work basis.

According to Pepsico, the company would soon start procurement of kinnow across Punjab and will also initiate contract-farming arrangement with farmers in Punjab for tomatoes and other crops. The move is aimed to replicate its pioneering efforts in increasing the yields of potatoes in the state.