The Hindu Business Line : EEPC to hold Indiatech Fair in Jakarta from March 9

ENGINEERING exports, accounting for 16 per cent share of the country's total exports, and in a position to scale this up to 18 per cent by the end of this fiscal, has launched a major exercise to explore the Asean markets, particularly Indonesia and China.

Engineering Exports Promotion Council (EEPC) is holding its four-day 11th Indiatech Fair (India-specific Fair) in Jakarta from March 9. Some 120 Indian companies, including Bajaj, BEML and Nalco, will participate and showcase a variety of engineering products and also the technological upgradation achieved in the recent past.

The delegation will be led by the Union Minister of State for Commerce, Mr E.V.K.S. Elangovan.

The council is also sending a 20-member delegation to China, mainly Beijing and Shanghai, (beginning its 7-day tour from March 13) to examine the scope for export of Indian engineering items to China, which has the potential to emerge as a major trading partner of India.

India's share in Chinese global imports was now 2.39 per cent, up from the one per cent two years ago.

The council, which has set an export target of $12.75 billion for engineering exports by end March 2005, has been averaging an export growth of around 20-22 per cent in the Asean region, which has been identified as a natural partner for India with a distinct freight advantage.

Briefing newspersons here at EEPC's swanky new office at the Vanijya Bhavan, Mr Rakesh Shah, National Chairman of the Council, said the Jakarta Indiatech was a major step forward to re-establish business ties with the Asean region, in alignment with Government's new Focus-Asean Plus Australia-New Zealand initiative.

He said reconstruction activities in tsunami-hit Indonesia have started in a big way, opening up opportunities for builders' hardware and other construction equipment and material, and EEPC has chalked out plans to cash in on the opportunity.

Mr Shah pointed out that the India-Indonesia bilateral trade was now on an upswing, having doubled from $1.57 billion in 2001-02 to $3.25 billion, and the Indiatech Fair would endeavour to sustain this trend. An important theme for the exposition, according to Mr Shah, would be the introduction of CNG Kits made in India, following the huge interest in Indonesia for a pollution-free environment.

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