By IANS,
Kolkata : A South African parliamentary delegation Thursday evinced interest in outsourcing business to India and sought this country’s participation in various sectors, including automobiles and mining.
The 11-member team, led by Mewa Ramgobin, held an interaction with Indian businessmen and consultants at a programme organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and urged Indian companies to pump money in venture capital businesses, small and medium enterprises and pharmaceuticals.
The Indian side also requested the visitors to invest in mining.
Ramgobin said the balance of India-South Africa trade was now tilted in the favour of South Africa. In 2007-08, $2,659 mllion worth of goods was exported from India to South Africa, while India imported goods worth $3,650 million from South Africa.
FICCI president C.L. Dhanuka said Singur – from where Tata Motors was forced to withdraw its Nano plant following protests by Trinamool Congress-led farmers over allegedly forcible land acquisition – was an isolated case in West Bengal’s industrialisation efforts.
“Singur should not deter investors. (Trinamool Congress chief) Mamata Banerjee is very much industry friendly. But it was to make inroads into the rural vote bank that such things were done,” Dhanuka added.