The Hindu Business Line : India fascinates Spaniards

After having got a sense of what the Greek and the Turkish people think of India over the last one year, it was time to find out what the Spanish think of India.

While on a tour of Spain organised by the International Olive Oil Council one was in the beautiful and scenic Andalucian region of southern Spain.

Ciriaco V. Hombrados, Sub-Director General, Ministry of Agriculture, Spain, who accompanied us on a tour of the olive groves in the region is effusive about his impressions of India. “Oh, we look upon India as a country with a future and are watching it very closely. We believe that after a few years it will become the second most important country after China. We are targeting India not only for table olives and olive oil, we want to sell all kinds of things to India.”

He is amazed at the speedy growth of the Indian economy and says there is increasing talk in Spain about the immense business potential for Spanish companies engaged in infrastructural development in several countries. “We make roads, ports, airports... etc in the US, Britain and other European countries. So as India grows, there will be opportunities for us to build some of these projects.”

For Francisco Nunez de Prado, one of the largest olive oil producers in Spain, India is a fascinating country. Of course, he is getting ready to introduce his brand of olive oil in the growing Indian market, but also recalls how 30 years ago, while studying in Cambridge he was fascinated by the mathematical skills of some of his friends from Calcutta. From Maharishi Devendranath to Rabindranath Tagore, India is a fascinating country.

For Alfredo Martin, the area manager of Agro Sevilla, a large conglomerate of 11 table oil and seven olive oil cooperatives, India is a question mark, a business opportunity and immense tourism potential, all rolled into one. They already export table olives to India and he is aware of the increasing business opportunities. “I travelled only recently to India and only to Delhi, but the greenery in Delhi amazed me. It is such a huge city and yet it is so green. And even though there is such a huge number of vehicles on its roads, the traffic keeps moving all the time. It doesn’t in Seville, which has a population of barely a million, but in European terms is quite a big city. Since I love Indian food I kept trying all kinds of things but in the end it was a little too much.”

But, of course, the number of people he saw in India overwhelmed him. “I’ve been to China several times, but I didn’t get the feeling of crowding or poverty that I got in India.” But adds Martin, making a vital differentiation between India and China, “In Beijing and Shanghai, I saw only big enterprises, big shops. But in Delhi I saw big glittering malls as well as small shops in the streets that were doing brisk business. For me, that is good proof that India has a lot of base to grow from.”

Martin has promised himself, as also his wife, who loved the things he brought her from India, That he will come back here not only for business, but also tourism. The Taj Mahal and Rajasthan are definitely in his schedule of travel.

But as far as Agro Sevillas export to India is concerned, he was thrilled to find that olives were being stored in health and nature stores. “Now that came as a real surprise to me. Though we talk a lot about table olives and olive oil being very good for health, nowhere in the world have I seen table olives been sold from nature and health stores and being clearly marketed as a health product.”

Julia Saiy Pardo, who is engaged in the efforts of a local foundation in Granada to preserve the cultural heritage of the Al Humbra region here, finds India “an exotic country”. Her brother has been in India quite a few times and she wants to come too. “There is a growing awareness in Spain about religion and spirituality, and we know that India has these strengths”.

But surprisingly... perhaps, it is my limited interaction with people or their constraints in English communication... there is not too much mention of India’s young work force or our IT industry. They are yet to make the strong impression on Spaniards that is evident in the US and most of Europe.

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