New Delhi, Aug 26 (PTI) India’s emergence among the top five global markets for Nestle SA is now "on the horizon", the Swiss food and beverage giant's CEO Philipp Navratil said on Wednesday.

The India market is “very attractive” for Nestle and the company expects a volume-led growth there with support of investments, said Navratil, who is on a visit to India.

Nestle sees “plenty of growth opportunities” in India, which is among its top ten markets and already the highest-performing for the group in terms of growth, he added.

“India, in terms of growth, is one of the highest performers of the group and was the highest-performing market in the first half of 2026. It is among the top 10 markets and there continues to be further opportunity here to drive. Top five (in terms of topline contribution) is definitely on the horizon,” Navratil said in a select media roundtable.

When asked about the timeframe for India entering the top five list, he said the ambition was very much within near-term rather than a distant goal.

"Top five is definitely... it is on the horizon. It is not something that will happen 20 years down the road. It is on the horizon. And the team is working towards that," he said.

India is among the strongest growth drivers for Nestle across emerging markets, supported by its extensive reach and ability to cater effectively to consumer needs, Navratil said.

“I believe it is due to a few things here, including being able to serve the consumers in a meaningful way by being deeply distributed. If you look at where the opportunities are – the amount of people, the number of consumers that will move into the middle class, and urbanisation – all those trends exist in India,” said Navratil.

Moreover, Nestle, the maker of popular brands as Maggi, Kit Kat, Nescafe etc is also looking to increase its export from India and making it an export hub for its other global markets.

“I think that we should do even more to see India as a production hub to export. We're doing that already,” he said, adding Nestle India currently exports to 30-odd countries, which “can be more and better”.

“So this is definitely something we should look more to be a hub going forward. And again, the scale of India is, you know, makes sure that we invest in those factories are at capacity very fast. So it's a good place to invest for us,” he said.

In the June quarter, Nestle, in its global earnings, had recognised the high double-digit growth in the June quarter, terming it "very, very strong” and said it led the growth of the Asia, Oceania and Africa (AOA) zone.

Navratil further said, “There is plenty of opportunity on both the value and premium ends and so I think it is one of the largest priorities that we have in the group.” Though Navratil did not share any specific number over the investment in India, he said it will be higher than other markets.

“So there is nothing to announce, but you should expect investment in India to be consistent, and as India grows above the group average, the investment will also be above the group average in this country. And we see, we are investing for the long term, so this is, we are really excited about the long-term potential of India, and the investment that is necessary to capture that, we will not hesitate to put that in,” he said.

Nestle, which operates nine active manufacturing facilities, with a tenth plant currently under development in Odisha, had in 2022 announced Rs 5,000 crore investment for India.

Navratil, who became CEO of Swiss MNC Nestle SA on September 1, 2025, on Monday also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with his India head Manish Tiwary, where he discussed its continued commitment to India and its contribution to the country's growth and development agenda, the company said.

The company has identified five priorities to work on in the country, which include having the right portfolio, which makes the foundation of driving growth; driving efficiencies; driving a performance culture; and a focus on RIG (real internal growth) led growth.

“RIG-led growth comprises volume growth, which is serving more consumers every day, getting into more households and pricing which includes the opportunity to premiumise the portfolio while driving affordability and value to capture consumers across the spectrum,” Navratil explained.

He, however, cautioned that Nestle would not compromise on product quality or speed for the sake of the target, citing the company's approach over its 114-year presence in India.

"We are a food company. For us, the quality of the product, we will always move slowly, keeping the consumer at the heart of what we do... And consumers come along, which is important. You need to take consumers along," Navratil said. PTI KRH KRH ANU ANU