New Delhi, July 8 -- India's beer industry is emerging as a significant contributor to the country's economy, agriculture and employment, with industry leaders highlighting its growing investments, support for farmers and extensive domestic supply chains.

The sector is expected to attract fresh investments as it expands, with memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth nearly Rs 2,500 crore signed over the past six months for new brewery projects, according to Brewers Association of India Director General Vinod Giri.

"In the last six months or so, ... we saw MoUs being signed for nearly two and a half thousand crores," Giri told ANI.

Citing an independent study by Oxford Economics, Giri said the beer industry contributes around Rs 92,000...