As part of its market diversification drive, the Commerce Ministry is conducting outreach programmes for increasing awareness about commercial opportunities available in the CIS countries amongst Indian businesses.

“To fill the information gap, we in the Commerce Ministry are planning outreach programmes in five cities,” Rajiv Capoor, Joint Secretary, Commerce Ministry, said addressing a roundtable with CIS Ambassadors organised by the Engineering Export Promotion Council on Tuesday.

Two such programmes have already been conducted, including one in Ahmedabad, he added.

The CIS includes Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine.

Capoor said the Commerce Ministry viewed CIS, Asean (bloc of South East Asian countries), Africa and Latin American countries as the four fastest growing regions of the world. It was, therefore, focussing on increasing trade with these countries to lessen the impact of adverse developments in the EU and the US –the country’s traditional markets.

Requesting Ambassadors of the CIS to encourage their businesses to participate in the India Engineering Sourcing Show in Mumbai in January, Capoor said problems related to issue of business visas needed to be sorted out. The two Governments are working on norms that would ease visa norms.

EEPC India Chairman Aman Chadha pointed out that were a number of issues, apart from visa trouble, that hindered trade with the CIS countries. These issues include connectivity problems and lack of banking channels.

>amiti.sen@thehindu.co.in

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