Home Economy Post polls, back to business in Gujarat

Post polls, back to business in Gujarat

By IANS

Ahmedabad : The din of elections is over and it is back to business in Gujarat. Whether it is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or the Congress at the helm of affairs, the first task of the new government will be to provide a roadmap for business and industry.

Two important events will offer the new government options to provide the roadmap.

The first is “Udyog”, being held in Surat during Jan 4-8 organised by the South Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI).

The other is the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Gujarat-sponsored Foodex 2008, the fourth international convention on agro and food-processing industry to be held at Ahmedabad Jan 24-27.

At the Surat expo, delegations from China, Germany, Britain, Taiwan and South Korea are attending. The industries in focus will include textile machinery, textile ancillaries, apparels, embroidery, engineering, electrical, electronics including instrumentation, industrial safety equipments, gems and jewellery, automobile and auto accessories.

An estimated 50,000 businessmen are expected to visit the exhibition. The exhibition will be spread over 25,000 sq metres.

SGCCI says the accent during the event will be on providing information on new business and manufacturing technologies so that a good market platform is available to the manufacturers.

In Ahmedabad, Foodex 2008 will have on display the entire range of existing and latest products and services related to the food, food-processing technology and food-packaging industry.

Exhibitors from industries include makers of food-processing equipment, packaging machines and materials, beverages, processed and frozen foods, food ingredients, and cold rooms and cold chains. There will also be participation from food bio-technology and refrigeration technology centres.

CII Gujarat foresees a large scope of investments in the food-processing sector. Besides traditional areas in the industry, the meet will also explore the promotion of capital-intensive horticulture and floriculture in greenhouses, in addition to logistics and supply chain management of processed food.

According to CII, Gujarat with a strong agricultural base has 3.6 million hectares of irrigated land and well-developed agro-research capabilities, and is well positioned to drive the growth of food-processing industry.

The state is on the verge of making a mark in this sunrise sector with enablers like hassle-free policies, strong agricultural marketing network of over 200 agricultural product marketing committees, 400 market yards and 110 cold storages.

The five-day meet will explore opportunities for investment in port-based agri-jetty and cargo-handling facilities as a large number of ports are being developed on the Saurashtra coastline.

The presence of major companies like Amul, Godrej, ITC, Rasna, Reliance, Vadilal would be a motivation for many more to come into the sector, says CII.

The 2006 edition of the fair was a big success with huge exhibitor and visitor participation including 20,000 farmer visits.