The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Norwegian businesswomen scout for partnerships

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 04, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Norwegian businesswomen scout for partnerships

Special Correspondent

Team represents a diverse range of interests

(From left to right) Anne Lise Rognlidalen, head of the Norwegian women entrepreneurs delegation, visiting Chennai with N. Kumar, vice- chairman, Sanmar group; Akhila Srinivasan, chairperson, FICCI Ladies Organisation; and Arvind Gopinath, Honorary C onsul for Norway in Chennai, during an interaction organised by the FLO in Chennai on Thursday. — PHOTO: K. PICHUMANI

CHENNAI: For members of the first-ever Norwegian business delegation to Chennai Thursday turned out to be productive, as they had a firsthand opportunity to scout for business partners in the "fastest growing city in a country with the fastest growing economy."

The 10-member delegation of women entrepreneurs, led by Anne Lise Rognlidalen, represented a diverse range of interests, from tourism to personal care products to consultancy to hydropower.

During the last six years, bilateral trade between India and Norway had grown by hundred per cent, and at present, they were 35 Norwegian companies in India, Akhila Srinivasan, chairperson, FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO), said, welcoming the delegates at an interaction organised by the FLO.

Presenting an overview of business opportunities in Tamil Nadu, Ms. Srinivasan said the industry was dominated by the services sector (56.2 per cent), followed by manufacturing (29.6) and agriculture (14.2). The State led the auto sector boom, contributing 25 per cent to the country's produce and had seen a 700 per cent rise in software exports.

Indian exports to Norway increased from $70 million in 2003 to $130 million in 2006, and imports from Norway into India increased from $97 million in 2003 to $289 million in 2006, said Arvind Gopinath, Honorary Consul for Norway in Chennai.

To further bilateral relations, a forum, `Innovation Norway,' had been set up to negotiate partnerships among small and medium industries.

India's economic growth was on a firm ground, and the industry was on a high growth path, N. Kumar, vice-chairman, Sanmar group, said. The country's greatest strengths were its youth, technical capabilities and a well- established market, including the opportunities created by the growing rural market.

The delegation was looking for tie-ups in areas such as jewellery, textiles and information technology, Ms. Rognlidalen said. Norway had an enabling atmosphere for women entrepreneurs, as the Government extended assistance in the form of micro-finance, grants, scholarships and mentoring.

The country was also promoting women's rights and gender equality and a "female touch in business partnerships could pave the way for new prospects."

The delegation later held one-on-one interactions with entrepreneurs and businesspersons from Chennai.

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