NEW DELHI:Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Kamal Nath has said that there is immense possibility for joint investments between INdia and Russia in areas like banking, information technology, telecommunications, high-technology sectors, power, pharmaceuticals and textiles.
Addressing the India-Russia CEOs Council Meeting here today,Mr Kamal Nath said that India and Russia have managed to sustain strong business vibes in recent years and added that the India-Russia Forum on Trade & Investment has underscored the need for investment cooperation in a large number of sectors.
“Indian companies are quickly establishing themselves in Russia and the cumulative Indian investments in the Russian economy amounted to US $ 744.1 million as of March 31, 2008”, he said. The meeting was also attended by Shri G.K. Pillai, Commerce Secretary Ajai Shankar, Secretary (IPP) apart from CEOs from both the countries. During the occasion, the Minister also launched the IBEF Website in Russian language.
Mr Nath said there is a strong case for Russian companies to invest in India, especially in power sector, as Russia is energy rich and India's energy requirements are going to increase manifold over the next 10-15 years.
The Minister emphasised that critical sectors of the economy, like agriculture, have started a process of revival by growing at a rate of close to 4%. This growth rate is a significant contribution to inclusiveness, which is vital for India as it helps sustain domestic consumption, which will sustain our growth story in the short, medium and long term, he added.
Bilateral trade between India and Russia during 2008-09 (April-July) was to the tune of US $ 1613.56 million. Major items of export are drugs, pharmaceuticals & fine chemicals, RMG cotton including accessories, tea, coffee, tobacco un-manufactured, processed minerals, plastic & linoleum products, machinery & instruments, transport equipments, electronic goods etc. Major items of import are iron & steel, non-ferrous metals, coal, coke, newsprint, silver, synthetic & reclaimed rubber etc.
Cumulative FDI inflows from Russia till August 2008 were US $ 144 million. The top sectors that attracted FDI inflows were medical & surgical appliances, hotel & tourism, food processing industries etc.
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