Monsanto, PepsiCo interested in setting up units in Maha: CM

A day after announcing that Maharashtra had received investment proposals worth Rs 6 lakh crore, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today said Monsanto and PepsiCo had shown interest in setting up facilities in the state.

Monsanto is keen to set up a 'seed hub' in the Vidarbha region, while PepsiCo had shown interest in building facilities to mix fruit juice in its aerated drinks.

Monsanto will be setting up the seed hub, its biggest in the country, at Deoolgaavraja in Buldhana district, Fadnavis told reporters at the Make in India Week here.

The global seeds major is likely to sign a Memorandum of Understanding in the next one or two days, he added.

Speaking to reporters after meeting industry leaders from the US, Fadnavis said PepsiCo had showed interest in setting up facilities to mix fruit juice in its cola offerings, but the locations have not been finalised.

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Devendra Fadnavis

Chief Minister|Maharastra

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The cola giant is planning to use five fruit juices, including pomegranate and mango, for mixing, he said, adding that it plans to set up three such units in the state.

Following a suggestion from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to mix fruit juice in aerated drinks, PepsiCo's rival Coca Cola launched a new fizzy juice drink and signed an MoU with Maharashtra on the first day of MII Week.

Maharashtra yesterday announced it had signed over 2,400 MoUs during the event.

Fadnavis said during the meeting today, some US companies complained about the system of selecting the lowest bidder. He assured them all help under the 'Swiss Channel' system where a higher bid can be accepted.

IT major IBM is interested in working on the smart cities initiative, he said.

Maharashtra today also announced the launch of US-Maharashtra Development Council, an initiative of the state government and 'Friends of Maharashtra' in the US.

"US-MDC shall be anchoring and driving activities encouraging international investments in Maharashtra, bringing international best practices to Maharashtra, skill development and entrepreneurship," an official statement said. PTI AA VT KRK ABM .