Monsanto to set up biggest seed hub at Buldhana

Monsanto, the agricultural company, has decided to set up its biggest seed hub at Deulgavraja in Buldhana district. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has informed that the MoU with Monsanto would be signed in a couple of days.

Fadnavis, along with minister for industries Subhash Desai, on Tuesday met with representatives of US India Business Council and American Chamber of Commerce. There were 30 big companies from the US which made presentations and discussed various issues during the meeting.

Fadnavis said Monsanto already has its presence in Maharashtra and in today's meting it has shown readiness to set up its biggest seed hub at Deulgavraja in Buldhana.

Fadnavis informed that most of the potential investors from the US have expressed concern over the process of awarding tender by the prevailing L1 process. The chief minister said that he has assured the US investors that his government was open for policy changes provided investors maintained transparency and the system provided a level playing field for all competitors.

Regarding policy changes, he said that in case of technical issues and in projects, evaluation of tender would be based on 60 per cent technical and 40 per cent financial grounds.

After Coca Cola, Pepsico has also shown interest in investing in Maharashtra. Pepsico would be investing in juicing plants for five select fruits, including mango and pomegranate.