'About 18 companies looking to expand, relocate to Bengal...'

kolkata: About 18 companies are looking to expand and relocate their investment to Bengal from other states, said Yemi Odanye, Deputy Head of Mission, British Deputy High Commission while addressing a "Diplomats Conclave: Bengal as a Trade & Business Destination" ahead of the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) scheduled to take place on April 20 and 21.

"In BGBS, the UK will be a partner country and a 35-member business delegation will be attending. Infrastructure, environment, energy, electric vehicle, manufacturing, agricultural technology, information technology are some of the areas where UK and West Bengal can work together," Odanye said at the Conclave organised by MCCI.

Kamalakanth, Executive Director, West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) while addressing the conclave as the Chief Guest said: "BGBS will communicate to the world that foreign investments are secure in Bengal." He added that the state government's initiative of land purchase policy and State Approved Industrial Parks (SAIP) are meant to help the MSME sector.

The conclave was also addressed by Zha Liyou, Consul General of the People's Republic of China, Manfred Auster, Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Yamasaki Matsutaro, Acting Consul General of Japan and Eshor Raj Poudel, Consul General of Nepal.

Rishabh C. Kothari, President, MCCI in his welcome address said that FDIs have been flowing into the state and the IT sector has attracted the maximum FDI. State's IT exports have reached nearly Rs 25,000 crore in the last couple of years, Kothari said. "We need to look beyond IT and seek investment in heavy industries," he added.

The Bengal Global Business Summit is an ideal platform for forging alliances, tie up partnerships, and acquiring a clear vision of the opportunities that the state provides for expanding business, making new investments, setting up green field manufacturing projects and associated activities. BGBS 2019 had attracted participation of over 4000 delegates including 450 international delegates from 35 Countries.