Pepsico buys agri-technology from CSMCRI

Pepsico India has bought a technology developed by the Gujarat-based Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI) to produce an organic plant growth nutrient from seaweeds.

"We have just signed the deal with CSMCRI. The technology has been successfully proven to produce organic plant growth nutrient from seaweeds," Abhiram Seth, executive director (exports & external affairs) of Pepsico India, said today.

The organic plant growth nutrient was found to give 20-30% extra growth, he added.

Seth said the technology acquisition was key to Pepsico's big plans in Tamil Nadu for the seaweed development programme.

Pepsico India plans to partner with several self-help groups (SHGs) in the state whereby it would give assured buyback of seaweeds from the SHGs.

The company would consider setting up a facility in Tamil Nadu for producing the plant growth nutrient once it gets assured supply of 10,000-15,000 tonne of wet seaweeds from the farmers here, Seth said. "Currently, we don't have the scale."