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.N and Sanofi SASY.PA 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 TCS.NS and Accenture ACN.N, according to publicly available announcements.

(Reporting by Sai Ishwarbharath B; Editing by Janane Venkatraman )

((saiishwarbharath.b@thomsonreuters.com;))