PepsiCo scales India growth plan through local sourcing, EV logistics and healthier products

PepsiCo India is expanding its PepsiCo Positive programme across farming, water, packaging and transport. The company works with 36,000 farmers in 14 states, runs 13 electric trucks and says more than half of its India beverage volume is now low- or zero-sugar.

— Source publishedFri, 18 Sept, 2026, 14:44 IST·First seen Fri, 18 Sept, 2026, 14:53 IST·Source Business Standard · Companies

What happened

PepsiCo India · PepsiCo is scaling PepsiCo Positive in India through local potato sourcing, digital farmer tools, water and packaging initiatives, EV logistics

Key facts

  • 36,000 farmers across 14 states
  • 100% locally sourced chip-grade potatoes in India
  • 18,000 mapped acres and over 7,000 farmers under Lay's Smart Farms
  • Pune facility reduced water use by more than 90%
  • More than half of India beverage volume is low- or zero-sugar

Why this matters

PepsiCo’s India strategy shows how local sourcing, EV logistics and lower-sugar products can be scaled together to support growth while reducing supply-chain risk.

What to watch

  • Number of EV trucks, charging partnerships and share of freight kilometres electrified.
  • Growth rate and profitability of low- and zero-sugar beverage volumes versus regular carbonated drinks.
  • New PepsiCo India plant, warehouse, export or farmer-programme investment announcements.
  • Changes to Indian sugar taxes, front-of-pack nutrition rules, plastic EPR enforcement or EV incentives.
  • Farmer retention, crop yields, water-use metrics and agricultural input-price volatility.