Wal-mart to open 15 stores in AP

Hyderabad: Wal-mart India President and CEO Krish Iyer met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu at the State Secretariat on Monday. Iyer informed the Chief Minister that president and CEO of Wal-martDavid Cheesewright, had written to him to meet him (Naidu) and unveil Wal-martIndia's plans for Andhra Pradesh.

He thanked Naidu for introducing the single-desk policy and 21-day clearance plan and said that it will make the investment environment conducive in the state, to rope in more investors. He added that Wal-martis planning to open 15 cash-and-carry stores in the next five years. The company currently has three stores in Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada, Guntur and Rajahmundry.

Iyer added that the company’s plan is to have wholesale stores in every district. He added that Wal-martis also keen on investing in social and rural entrepreneurship through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Stating that the company wants to focus on creating women leaders for empowerment in the society, Iyer said that they intend to build skills of DWCRA women in the state.

Responding to Iyer’s plans, the Chief Minister said that Wal-martcould also explore setting up of cold-chain facilities and work on backward integration of agriculture. Explaining the state’s strength in agriculture, the Chief Minister told Iyer that the company could choose 20-30 agriculture commodities which the state tops in and market them through Walmart.

“You can focus on value addition and marketing while the government will work on the processes,” the Chief Minister told Iyer. Stating that ICRISAT and NABARD are working with the state government in the Primary Sector Mission to make agriculture profitable and sustainable, the Chief Minister sought a commodity-wise action plan from Wal-martthat could list the best practices from across the world.