Global beverages giant Coca-Cola on Monday announced that they will invest along with its partners $1.7 billion in the agricultural ecosystem of India over the next five years.

The company will be investing for the procurement of fruit-based material for the product and in building the required infrastructure in India.

Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia President T Krishnakumar said, “We are planning to invest around US $1.7 billion, out of which US $800 million will be for procurement of fruit-based material for use in the product and US $900 million will be the investment on manufacturing lines, juice bottling infrastructure and fruit processing plants and equipment and agriculture interventions”.

Experts believe that this kind of investment will create opportunities for around two lakh farmers and local suppliers in India.

According to a report, Jain irrigation and Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages have already invested in the similar project named ‘Orange Unnati’ and ‘Mango Unnati’ in order to increase the production of their products and create employment for the farmers.

At present, Coca-Cola obtains and exports raw material and ingredients worth Rs 1802 crore from India to 44 other countries.

Today, the company launched Minute Maid Pulpy Mosambi and has sourced more than 1800 tonnes the fruit from Jalna in Maharashtra for the first phase of production.

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