| A delegation of industrialists and officials from the Henan province of China is in the city to invite investments and seek collaborations with the industries in the state. |
| During a meeting between the delegation and the industrialists from Andhra Pradesh, organised by the state chapter of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci), the delegation underlined the scope for collaborations in the area of IT, agro industries and pharmaceuticals for which Andhra Pradesh was well known. |
| However, the delegation was in for a surprise when it faced a particular query from one of the industrialists. During the interaction, N V Reddy, managing director of Virchow Laboratories Limited, wanted to know as to how long it would take to get their drugs registered in China for exports to that country. Virchow is the largest producer of sulfamethoxazole in the world. |
| The delegation could not explain if there was any time-bound programme in place to allow imports of medicines. Xie Sengfu, the leader of the business delegation, merely said that China was very careful when it came to drug imports as it affected the public health at large. That China would consider various issues before according approval was the only information he could give in response to the query. |
| Not satisfied with the answer, Reddy pointed out that a country like the US would take only six months. However, in the case of China the approval had been pending for sulfamethoxazole for over two years and it was uncertain how long it would take, he pointed out to the delegation. |
| As the delegation was at a loss to give any specific answer, Ficci state chapter president C Parthasarathy had to intervene and pacify Reddy, stating that he would take up the issue with the appropriate authorities and find out the answer for the member's query. |
| Earlier, Li Chengu, governor of Henan province, said that the delegation learnt of the advantages that Andhra Pradesh enjoyed in the areas of IT, biotechnology, agro industries and pharmaceuticals. Stating that Henan had also similar strengths, he called upon the Andhra Pradesh industrialists to collaborate with the Henan industrialists and also explore possibilities of setting up industries in the Chinese province. |
| Xi Sengu said that Henan, with a population of 97 million, had the largest concentration of agricultural activity in the country. With a vast pool of low-cost labour and incentives like two-year tax exemption for new industries, Henan was the most suitable place for bilateral trade, he said. |
| Last year, Henan's exports crossed $6 billion of which $18 million exports were meant for India. During January-July this year, Henan's exports to India touched $16 million, he said. Exports from India to Henan were $99 million last year, and this year during January-July Henan's imports from India was worth $99.3 million, he said. |
| O P Goenka, president of Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Fapcci), said that while China was a huge exporter of herbals and herbal extracts, the industry in Andhra Pradesh was already working on preparing compounds from herbal extracts. |
| He pointed out that solensol, a tobacco extract, could help in the production of coengimeq10, one of the most wanted and highly expensive compounds to treat heart ailments. The compound, which costs $1,500 per kg, could be exported from the state to Henan. |
| Goenka also said that China, a large producer of rice, was yet to develop the technology for edible rice bran oil. India could be a great source of help in this regard, he pointed out. He also said that Hyderabad "" with a number of renowned research establishments like IICT, CCMB and business schools like Indian School of Business (ISB) "" could train the Chinese professionals in their respective disciplines. |
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