Apr. 27 – Coca-Cola plans to invest more than US$250 million in India in the next three years because it has shown the highest volume growth in its international markets.

Sales during the first three months of the year grew by 31 percent despite the global slowdown. The funding will increase Coca-Cola investment in the country by 20 percent and will be used to expand operations from bottling to buying delivery trucks and refrigerators for small retailers.

“We have had 11 consecutive quarters of growth in India,” Atul Singh, president and chief executive of Coca-Cola India Inc. told the Wall Street Journal. “What we are seeing is that there is still demand not only in the urban centers and big metros but across the different segments of India.”

The prospect of robust demand in India as an emerging market serves as counterpoint for multinational companies that are facing declining deman in their developed markets.