"We are keen to set up a manufacturing base in India and have held talks with the governments of Punjab, Gujarat and Karnataka," he said. Chopra said though no definite time-frame could be given about the fruition of the plans, the company was hopeful of being a major player in the sub-continent within a few years.

"The company would have come into the country earlier, but for the regulative mechanism, whereby the biscuit industry was reserved for the small-scale industry," he said.

SFIC will work out the investment that it plans to make in the country and explore possibilities of raising funds from domestic or international financial institutions, Chopra said.