Kerala to conduct two-day global business meet in Feb

In a bid to help Kerala's traditional manufacturing sectors such as coir, handicrafts, ayurvedic medicines, handloom, spices and rubber, the state government will organise a two-day global business meet in Kochi in February 2004.

Kerala industries minister P K Kunhalikutty said the meet would provide the manufacturing units in these sectors a platform to interact with buyers from outside and enter into business tie-ups for marketing their products as well as for seeking technological inputs from outside.

Explaining the difference between the Global Investors' Meet (GIM) held in January this year and the proposed global meet, the minister said GIM was held to lure fresh investments into the state, while the objective of the February meet was to strengthen Kerala's traditional manufacturing sector both in terms of technology and marketing.

Though this meet would also be a high-profile one, it would not be a mega event like GIM, he added.

While nearly 400 products of small scale industries (SSIs) are expected to be showcased at the meet, trade representatives from 14 developed and developing countries as well as teams from various embassies would participate in the meet.

Major trade organisations and established businesses from other states would also participate in the event, the minister said. If the response is good enough, Kerala government would make this meet an annual affair, he said.

Pointing out that he along with the officials of his department had recently visited Germany to woo investors, Kunhalikutty said a trade delegation would be visiting Kerala on November 14, 15 and 16 to explore the possibility of business ventures here.

This delegation would have a team of top officials from the German automobile major BMW as the car manufacturer wants to examine the feasibility of settling up its manufacturing unit here.