By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net,
Bhopal: Over 55 export agreements worth Rs.1,201 crore were signed between Madhya Pradesh’s entrepreneurs and foreign buyers at the three-day Reverse Buyer-Seller Meet MP Exportech which concluded here in Bhopal on Sunday.
As many as 77 foreign buyers from countries which include Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso (Western Africa), DR Congo, Ghana, Malaysia, Republic of Cameroon, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Tanzania, UAE, Uganda, Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Thailand, United States of America, UK, Brazil, Israel Senegal etc. participated in the fifth Madhya Pradesh Exportech.
An agreement being exchanged after signatures in the three-day Reverse Buyer-Seller Meet Madhya Pradesh Exportech in Bhopal, the capital of central Indian state Madhya Pradesh.
Ambassadors/High Commissioners of 21 countries namely Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Benin, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Congo, Eritrea, Gabon, Lesotho, Namibia, Niger, Seychelles, Slovakia, South Africa, Tajikistan, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda and Yemen participated in the Exportech.
As many as 6 agreements were signed on the third day in the presence of Laghu Udyog Nigam Chairman Akhand Pratap Singh, Additional Chief Secretary Industries P.K. Dash and Commissioner Industries T. Dharma Rao.
Sharing their experiences at the concluding function of the event organised jointly by the Union Industries Department and Madhya Pradesh Laghu Udyog Nigam, (MPLUN), some foreign buyers described Exportech as a very meaningful initiative. The foreign buyers also lauded arrangements made at the venue, hospitality of Madhya Pradesh government and work culture in the state.
At the Exportech, maximum agreements worth Rs.628.23 crore were singed in engineering & machine tools sector followed by over Rs.331.38 crore agreements in power & energy products, Rs.199.59 crore food, agro and herbal products, Rs.17.14 crore for packaging & plastic products, Rs.16.50 crore for products & services technology transfer sector and agreements worth Rs.8.48 crore were singed in textiles sector.
Indore remained on top in export agreements. Foreign buyers singed agreements worth Rs.750.50 crore with entrepreneurs of Indore followed by Rs.394.75 crore with Bhopal, Rs.30.25 crore with Mandsaur, Rs.13.75 crore with Jabalpur, Rs.10.51 crore with Dewas and export agreements worth Rs.1.11 crore were signed with entrepreneurs of Betul district. Besides, Rs.14 lakh agreements each with entrepreneurs of Dhar and Ujjain districts were also signed.
Agreement between MPLUN and Uganda
During the Exportech, Madhya Pradesh MPLUN signed an agreement with Uganda Consumer Cooperative Union for products, services and transfer of technology. As per the agreements, the union will provide marketing channel for sale of Madhya Pradesh’s products in Uganda. In turn, MPLUN will provide market in and outside the state to products of Uganda. Besides, the corporation will also provide packaging technique to Uganda Consumer Cooperative Union.
It may be pointed here that the 4th Exportech was held last year at Gwalior during which agreements worth Rs.629 crore were signed. The delegation from South Korea had entered into an agreement at the 4th Exportech with Madhya Pradesh Laghu Udyog Nigam for providing latest technology for indigo dyeing. This delegation also came to Bhopal. It would inspect indigo clusters at Neemuch and Jawad along with officers of the Handicraft Development Corporation. This would provide better business opportunity to the State’s artisans in indigo dyeing sector.
Meanwhile, as many as 84 MoUs, (Memorandum of Understandings), worth Rs.120.37 crore were signed during the conference of Micro, Small and Medium Entrepreneurs, (MSME), of Bhopal and Narmadapuram divisions alongside on March 1 when the fifth Madhya Pradesh Exportech began. These will provide jobs to about 6,500 persons. Besides, 106 industrialists have expressed interest in investments under which Rs.577.81 crore investment is proposed with possibility of jobs to about 11,500 persons.
While Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that Madhya Pradesh’s contribution in the country’s development has been significant. Now, Madhya Pradesh is among progressive states. Apart from big industries, a network of small and cottage industries will also be spread with a view to further boosting state’s economy. Chief Minister Chouhan said this while addressing MSME conference on March 1. On the occasion, he had also inaugurated the 5th MP Exportech.
Chouhan said that at present state’s agriculture growth rate is 18.9 per cent against the national growth rate of 3 percent. Madhya Pradesh’s growth rate is 11.98 per cent while the country’s growth rate is 5 per cent. In this way, Madhya Pradesh’s contribution in the country’s development is remarkable. Small and medium industries have an important role in the state’s development. ([email protected])