Hyderabad, Nov 27 (IANS): Cadbury is setting up its largest manufacturing plant in the Asia-Pacific in Andhra Pradesh.

The plant is coming up at Sri City in Chittoor district with the first phase expected to become operational by mid-2015 with an investment of Rs.1,000 crore.

Sri City is a special economic zone.

Cadbury India Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Andhra Pradesh. Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy also laid a "symbolic" foundation stone for the project in Hyderabad.

Cadbury India Managing Director Manu Anand told reporters after the signing of the MoU that the plant will be commissioned in four phases and completed by 2020 with an annual capacity of 250,000 tonnes.

The plant will create direct employment for 1,600 people.

Cadbury India already has six plants in Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.

Earlier, the chief minister said the state attracted investment of Rs.1.30 lakh crore during the last three years.

He said Japan's Isuzu Motors was setting up a plant at Sri City while Pepsi Co. planned to site its manufacturing facility here.

Industries Minister J. Geeta Reddy said regardless of the atmosphere in the state, major companies were coming forward to invest. She said Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson had decided to set up units in Mahabubnagar district.

She said the state was developing an automobile base and pointed out that Mahindra & Mahindra set up their largest tractor manufacturing plant in Medak district and were also planning to establish a car plant.

She said a chocolate company had also decided to set up its unit in Medak district but declined to reveal its name.