INVC,
Chandigarh
Sharing that the government of Canada aims at trade relations not only at the national level but also business at the province/state levels, Nawal Bajaj, President, Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC), said, “Canada has three focus areas- food, agri and post harvest processing; energy, and international education, specifically with Punjab and Haryana which share common synergy with Canada.”
Bajaj, who was leading the 30-member trade delegation, on a trade mission to India, was speaking during the interactive session on “Indo- Canadian Bilateral Trade” organised by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, here at PHD House.
Bajaj said, “The trade file between the two countries has moved big time and such interactions and trade delegation exchanges as these go a long way in achieving major boosts in the trade co-operation. Both the countries have jointly set a target of moving trade to $ 15 billion by 2015 from the present $ 5billion.”
Stressing on the fact that India and Canada have longstanding bilateral relationship based on shared democratic values, the multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-religious nature of two societies and strong people-to-people contacts, R S Sachdeva, Co-Chairman, Punjab Committee, PHD Chamber said, “We need to accelerate our efforts for the growth of bilateral economic cooperation, particularly in view of the current economic scenario.”
Dalip Sharma, Director, PHD Chamber said, “The inbuilt complimentary of the economies of both our countries offers innumerable opportunities and it is important that we build on the existing strong relations.”
Sharing information that 90% of businesses in Brampton are SMEs, Sohail Saeed, Director, Economic Development, Brampton said, “We look forward to collaborations majorly in the fields of Information Technology, Information and Communication Technology, Food and Beverage, Advanced Manufacturing.” While Chan, Raymond C, Investment Attraction Manager, Saskatchewan laid stress on collaborations particularly in food processing.
Rajani Alexander, representing the Canadian Consulate in Chandigarh, sharing her views during the session said, “India is a priority market for Canada and was ranked among the only 13 priority partners.” Energy, infrastructure, agriculture, food processing, international education, she reiterated are the key thrust areas for trade co-operation.
Ashok Khanna, Past President, PHD Chamber said, “There is a need for greater synergy of efforts between the business communities of both the countries to accelerate the two way cooperation. The trade between India and Canada is two way and the future prospects for trade and investment between our countries are significant.”
Major items of indian exports to Canada includes medicines, garments, diamonds, chemicals, gems and jewellery, petroleum oils, sea food, engineering goods, marble and granite, knitted garments, rice, electric equipment, plastic products, etc.
Major items of Canada’s export to India includes pulses, fertilizers, newsprint, aircrafts & aviation equipment, diamonds, copper ores and concentrates, bituminous coal, wood pulp, nickel, unwrought aluminum, asbestos, cameras, lumber, ferrous waste, etc.
