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Kerala trade show expects Rs. 50-crore business

KOCHI: The Trade and Technology Business Show 2007, showcasing products and technology from a select spectrum of the small and medium enterprises (SME) sector, began here on Thursday.

The programme, which started with a rich cultural fare, set the tone to build up business ties between buyers and sellers. Nearly 200 companies and institutions, including a few foreign entities, are participating in the three-day fair, jointly organised by the Department of Industries and Commerce, the Kerala Bureau of Industrial Promotion, the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation and the Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation.

Governor R.L. Bhatia, who inaugurated the show, lauded the effort to focus on technology. Though the SME sector was doing business estimated at many crores, acquisition of foreign technology was not an easy task. Absorption of new technology would enable the manufacturers to become competent to meet global competition, he said.

Industries Minister Elamaram Karim said the show was different from the business-to-business (B2B) meet held earlier. The B2B meet in 2004 generated business estimated at Rs. 8 crore, while that held the next year brought in deals valued at Rs. 25 crore. The present show was expected to yield Rs. 50 crore.

SME sectors selected for the show included food, Ayurveda, coir, handloom, handicrafts, bamboo and rubber. The show will highlight the industrial capability of the State. The State has favourable factors such as skilled manpower and a good climate that were ideal for an investment destination. The Minister called for a collective effort to redeem the prestigious position occupied by the State as a centre of trade.

A.P.M. Abdul Rahim, president of the Kerala State Small Industries Association, urged the government to set up a permanent convention-cum-exhibition centre in Kochi. Sebastian Paul, MP, stressed the need to improve infrastructure. T. Balakrishnan, Principal Secretary, Industries and Commerce, P.H. Kurian, Secretary, Industries, and Dinesh Mani, MLA, spoke.

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