Project state as mkt destination'
31 Oct 2007, 0339 hrs IST,
Ravi Dayal,TNN

PATNA: German consul general in Kolkata Guenter Wehrmann has appealed
to industrialists and traders of the state to project Bihar as a
market destination for promotion of Indo-German trade. Eastern India
has been sought to be promoted as the market destination, he said.

Addressing state industrialists and traders at an interactive session
at Bihar Industries Association (BIA) office here on Tuesday, Wehrmann
said the Eastern India is a terrific tourism destination and Bihar
must go the whole hog to market its tourism potential by first getting
an entry into the "Incredible India". He said that German export to
India were quality capital equipment and power plants. In return,
Germany offers a huge market for quality tea, spices and farm produce,
he said adding that Bihar should explore the export market to Germany
in this regard. For this, entrepreneurs should find out good business
partners in Germany for which the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce and
German representatives in Delhi would be of help, he added. Regional
language counsellor of Max Muller Bhawan, New Delhi, Michael Flucht
said a German Cultural Centre may be opened shortly in Patna. German
instructors would be sent to the centre to teach German language here,
he said. Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC) regional director B G
Roy dwelt on trade and cooperation promoted by the IGCC among the
Indian and German entrepreneurs and the importance of trade fairs in
Germany. He said Bihar can participate at the Hanover trade fair.
Bihari entrepreneurs should learn the art and explore the opportunity
of trade and cooperation with Germany by attending its important trade
fairs first, he said.

Bihar should showcase its tourist sites at the international fair on
tourism held in Berlin every year under the name ITB, Roy added. There
is tremendous scope of development of food processing industry in
Bihar in joint collaboration with German entrepreneurs who could also
provide expertise, he added.

BIA president, K P Jhunjhunwala said that investment opportunities
have opened in Bihar under its "investment friendly" industrial
policy-2006. Big private investments in infrastructure specially in
power generation, power transmission and distribution, road and social
infrastructure like education health and housing are required here.