By Sai Ishwarbharath B

MUMBAI, March 4 (Reuters) - Global commodity trader

Cargill plans to add 500 jobs to its global capability centres

(GCCs) in the next two to three years, bringing the overall

headcount to 3,500, as part of its plans to increase its digital

and tech workforce in the country.

Most of the hiring would be for expanding its tech-based

talent in Bengaluru in data engineering, analytics and AI-based

roles, Jennifer Hartsock, chief information and digital officer

at Cargill, told Reuters.

The expansion plans follow its announcement in December that

it would slash 8,000 jobs - or 5% of its global workforce - in

areas such as supply chain and inventory controls.

The current expansion is specifically for its India-based

tech talent and not linked to the global restructuring, the

company told Reuters.

Cargill will join multinational companies such as JPMorgan

Chase ( JPM ) and Sanofi that have set up local

offices or expanded their GCCs in India to support their daily

operations, including in areas such as research and development

and cybersecurity.

The Minneapolis-based firm has two GCCs in India, with most

of the tech operations running out of Bengaluru while Gurugram

centre focusses on finance and human resource functions, among

others.

Hartsock added that the company plans to reduce its tech

outsourcing work to about 40% in the same time frame of 2-3

years from 80% at present.

Cargill, which reported a 9.7% year-on-year fall in revenue

for the year ended May 2024, did not reveal its Indian

outsourcing partners. However, it works with firms such as Tata

Consultancy Services and Accenture ( ACN ), according

to publicly available announcements.

(Reporting by Sai Ishwarbharath B; Editing by Janane

Venkatraman

)