On his first visit to India the Minister will have talks with the Commerce Minister, Kamal Nath, business leaders and tour operators. Mr Dodds will visit HCL Technologies in Delhi and Firstsource in Mumbai, both of which have substantial operations in Northern Ireland.
The Minister will also see the work of Tourism Ireland and meet with a group of Indian tour operators to discuss how best to promote Northern Ireland as a tourist destination.
Outlining the objectives of the visit, Mr Dodds said: “India is now among the most dynamic and fastest growing global economies particularly in innovative technologies. It is sustaining annual growth rates of around 9% and has emerged as a global leader in industries from software to automotive engineering and life sciences.
“India is now an important source of both inward investment and trade revenue for Northern Ireland. Over 3,000 people are now employed by major Indian companies such as HCL, Firstsource, Polaris Software Lab, Tech Mahindra and Pix Transmission. The presence of these companies reinforces the fact that India is a very significant source of inward investment for Northern Ireland.”
The Minister stressed the importance of trade links already established with India and said: “However, India’s importance to the Northern Ireland economy is much greater than its contribution through inward investment. Several Northern Ireland companies including FG Wilson, Mivan, Randox Laboratories, Relay Business Software, Singularity, Delta Print and Packaging, Denman International, and CDE Ireland now have substantial operations there.
“In addition to the investment and trade business, Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Ulster now have important technology transfer collaborations with similar institutions in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai.”
Mr Dodds continued: “The visit will give me an opportunity to brief political and business leaders about the Executive’s plans to drive economic growth in Northern Ireland and to outline our advantages as an ideal springboard for Indian companies seeking growth in both Europe and the US.
“I will be telling Indian business leaders that seeking to exploit opportunities in the huge European marketplace that they should look to Northern Ireland for a skilled and highly educated workforce, excellent universities and ambitious companies with a commitment to international business and innovative products and services. They will also find a small but totally integrated and widely respected Indian community in Northern Ireland that’s been engaged in business here for over 70 years.
“A key objective will be to nurture existing business and educational links to develop a partnership with India that will bring greater benefits to both countries.”
The Minister will also meet representatives of the British Business Group in Mumbai.
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