Frankfurt: Seeking Foreign Direct Investments, chief minister Jai Ram Thakur led a ‘road show’ here showcasing the immense potential Himachal Pradesh has for investment in sectors like tourism, industries, information technology, service sector, food processing, pharmaceutical, power and other sectors.
The ‘Road Show’ was organized in cooperation with the Consulate General of India Frankfurt and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
Inviting potential entrepreneurs to be part of the Global Investors Meet – 2019, being organized at Dharamshala, the Chief Minister said the ‘Meet’ would focus on a range of thriving sectors like Tourism, AYUSH and Wellness, Manufacturing, Pharmaceuticals, Real Estate, Hydro Power, Agro and Food Processing.
“The State has a vibrant talent pool and educational ecosystem. With a host of universities, engineering, management and medical colleges, the state ensures a steady supply of skilled human capital for the industries, said Thakur, adding that Himachal Pradesh was ranked among the best states in India for doing business.
The state was working towards making sustainable tourism a prime engine for growth. As a Himalayan state, investors have a variety of choices like adventure, wildlife, eco-tourism, heritage, spiritual, monuments, religious, winter sports and other ventures to invest in the sector, said the chief minister.
He also highlighted that there were over 300 pharmaceutical companies established in the state. Besides there were over 700 Pharmaceutical formulation manufacturing units also and Himachal Pradesh was known as Pharmaceutical hub of Asia.
Speaking about the states status as the fruit bowl of India, the chief minister said that major fruits produced were apple, plums, apricots, kiwis, walnuts and pears. The state offers abundant opportunity for food processing and allied industries, said Thakur.
He said that the German companies were considered as master of planning, therefore, the State was willing to implement the same culture by having collaboration with more German companies. “There were more than 1600 Indo-German collaborations and over 600 Joint ventures operating in India and I personally feel that Tourism, AYUSH, Pharmaceutical, Agri & Food Processing, Industries, Real Estate and Automobiles could be the key areas of investments in the State”, he added.
Jairam Thakur also pointed out that Germany had a significant presence in many sectors of Himachal Pradesh. He said that Climate Proofing Project (KFW) was started to enhance the adaptive capacities of local communities with an outlay of 37.61 Million EURO. Whereas, Himachal Pradesh Forest Ecosystem services – HP-FES Project” was signed in 2016, between GIZ and Himachal Pradesh Government to institutionalize the ecosystem services. In addition to this, several German Companies such as New Tech Filters, BASF, Edelman Henkel, Aristo Pharma and Federal Mogul were active in the State, he added.
Earlier, the delegation from Himachal Pradesh held meeting with President and Members of German-Indian Round Table and discussed investment opportunities in Himachal Pradesh.
Industries Minister Bikram Singh greeted the delegation for the roadshow in Frankfurt, Europe’s industrial powerhouse and world’s second largest exporter. He shared with august gathering the Himachal Pradesh’s strengths, meticulously framed policies, suitable opportunities and State’s readiness to attract and encourage investment.
He highlighted that the state has made a commendable step in establishing a manufacturing economy with over 50,000 manufacturing Units including global players like Unilever India, P&G, Dabur, Nestle, Cremica, Colgate, Philips, Godrej, Havells, Abbott and Reliance, actively operating in the State providing employment to over 4 lakh persons
He formally invited and warmly welcomed the German investors to take full advantage of the immense magnitude of investment opportunities Himachal Pradesh offers and participate in the maiden Global Investor Meet to be held at Dharamshala.
Additional Chief Secretary cum Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Dr. Shrikant Baldi highlighted the opportunities in the field of Tourism like Adventure Activities, Trekking & Camping, Wildlife, Unexplored Cold Desert, History, Architecture, Spirituality and Harmony. He further explained about the individual potential investible projects in details like Five Star Resorts, Ski Resorts, Eco Tourism, Convention Centre, Hot Water Wellness Resort, Sky Bridge, Lake Tourism, Destination Development, Ropeways, Civil Aviation, Tea Tourism and Tented Accommodation.
Additional Chief Secretary, Industries Manoj Kumar made a concise presentation highlighting the facts why India was considered the economic bright spot in global economy and how Himachal Pradesh was an ideal ‘Haven for Investors’. He gave a succinct brief on the 8 focus sectors in Himachal Pradesh. He highlighted the State readiness for investment in terms of ‘Ease of Doing Business’ and also shared key Incentives of Industrial Investment Policy – 2019.
MD International Business Frankfurt Chamber of Commerce Grulswort Ratzinger said that Frankfurt was the home of manufacturing sector, including the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, automotive, electrical, mechanical, measurement and control engineering. He also highlighted the region is Europe’s leading centre for ICT and world’s leading internet exchange point DE-CIX.
He said that the Frankfurt was also the centre of Indian business community in Germany. The CCI alone counts 260 Indian member companies, among them the largest India banks as well as top India IT companies. He shared that Germany is India’s most important trading partner in Europe and among the Top-10 trading partners worldwide.
Pratibha Parkar Consulate General greeted the delegation for the roadshow in Frankfurt, the financial capital of Germany. She highlighted the vision of Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi regarding “Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas aur Sabka Vishwas” and added that it was not merely for India but also applicable for India’s external relations with other countries.
Director Industries Hans Raj Sharma, Special Secretary Industries Abid Hussain Sadiq, Principal Private Secretary to the Chief Minister Vinay Singh, representative of India Travels George John, Vice President TVG Mohan Jonnalagadda, representative of MEFT Consultation Services David Gower, METRO AG representative Mark Alexanxder Friedrich, Nestle representative Varghese Mathew, Blocher and Partner representative Angela Kreutz and over 80 entrepreneurs and leaders from Federal Republic of Germany Business community were present on the occasion.
MoU signed between State Government and FIZ
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Government of Himachal Pradesh and Frankfurt Innovation Zentrum (FIZ) in the presence of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur at Frankfurt, Germany today to explore areas of collaboration in the fields of Ayurgenomics (Ayurveda and Genomics), precision medicine and precision agriculture.
During the MoU ceremony, CEO FIZ Dr. Christian Garbe made a detailed presentation on the working and mandate of FIZ. He also suggested for a cross-learning program to have better understanding of the local requirements as well as how Ayurgenomics can play a pivotal role in the healthcare and wellness sectors.
