Hyderabad, Feb 16 (IANS): Walmart India plans to open 15 cash-and-carry stores in Andhra Pradesh in next five years.

This was conveyed by Walmart India president and CEO during a meeting with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu here Monday.

This followed the chief minister's meeting with David Cheesewright, president and CEO of Walmart International, at the World Economic Forum in Davos recently.

According to a statement from the chief minister' office, Iyer 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.

The retail major presently has three stores in Andhra Pradesh at Vijayawada, Guntur and Rajahmundry.

Iyer said that the company's plan is to have wholesale stores in every district. He added that Walmart is 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, he said that they intend to build skills of members of women's self-help groups in the state.

Naidu said that Walmart could 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," he said.