Britannia to invest Rs 300 cr in Bengal

Kolkata: The standing committee of the state Cabinet on Wednesday approved investment proposals to the tune of Rs 750 crore among which Britannia Industries alone will invest Rs 300 crore. The development was announced by state Education and Parliamentary Affairs minister Partha Chatterjee at Nabanna after the meeting of the Cabinet standing committee of Industry, Commerce and Enterprise that was chaired by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at Nabanna.

The land allotment for Britannia will be 75.35 acre in one of the industrial parks under the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC). The company will choose the site of its project in consultation with the state government.

There are around 18 industrial parks under the WBIDC at various parts of the state including Kolkata, Purulia, Bankura, North 24-Parganas, Howrah to name a few.

"We have approved applications from eight companies including that of Britannia. Our focus has always been on generation of jobs and we are hopeful that this investment will generate good amount of employment," Chatterjee said.

Apart from 75.35 acres land for Britannia, the standing committee also approved the allotment of 5068.1 square feet module in the parks under the WBIDC.

It may be mentioned that Britannia has commenced milk procurement pilot in Maharashtra to strengthen dairy back-end capabilities and is setting up cold chains across the country. It also plans to enter the filled croissants space apart from expansion of cakes and rusk portfolio.

Britannia is the market leader in biscuits by value with around one-third share of the Indian market.