Kerala to showcase investment potential in industry sector at global meet

Our Correspondent

Sending a clear message to the world that Kerala is keen to attract huge investment from both India and outside, the State is all set to showcase a broad range of its robust and resilient industry before a formidable line-up of business leaders, industry captains, and other stakeholders at an upcoming global conference here.

Besides showcasing the Ease of Doing business backed by a string of policy interventions, Kerala will also strive to modernise the critical sectors of its economy by channeling constructive suggestions that would filter out from the proceedings of February 1-3 ‘Kerala Looks Ahead’ (KLA) conference being organised online by the Kerala State Planning Board.

The focus of the session on “Modern Industrial Possibilities” on February 2, will be on manufacturing in technologically advanced sectors; logistics and port-based industrial development; agro-based and food-processing; petrochemical complex; industrial parks and corridors; entrepreneurship nourishment; and modernisation of traditional industry alongside PSUs as mentors of industrial growth in the private sector.

Professor Myungjae Moon, Director of Institute for Future Government Studies, Yonsei University, will speak on South Korean experience in promoting industrial development and the economic growth possibilities for Kerala in the emerging global order.

Nobel laureate economist, Professor Joseph Stiglitz and WHO Chief Scientist, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan will attend the conference on the opening day. A Special Industry Session will also be held on the concluding day on February 3.

“Kerala provides competitive advantages to develop a cluster of industries. For instance, BPCL’s recent investment of Rs 16,500 crore in the ultramodern Integrated Refinery Expansion Project provides an opportunity to develop the petrochemical industry complex in Kochi. Developing a comprehensive roadmap for the Kochi-Coimbatore industrial corridor will also be of immense value,” Planning Board Vice Chairperson, Dr. V.K. Ramachandran said.

“From the conclave, Kerala will seek to learn from the best practices in a range of industries that are relevant to the state which is set to initiate its 14th Five Year Plan (2022-27). It will also give us an opportunity to imbibe exemplary initiatives and focus on the new challenges and opportunities,” said Dr Venu V, Member Secretary, Planning Board.

Besides Kerala Industries Minister E P Jayarajan, the session will see presentations by Mr Rizwan Soomar, MD and CEO, DP World-Port and Logistics, Professor V Ramgopal Rao, Director of Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, Ms Daisy Chittilapilly, MD, Digital Transformation, CISCO and Mr Tony Thomas, former CIO, Nissan Motor.

Experts say that the potential for the growth of agro-based industries is high in Kerala on account of both supply and demand factors. There are important possibilities for value addition in agricultural products such as rice, coconut, rubber, pineapple, and spices like pepper and cardamom.

Kerala has also established leadership in certain high-technology sectors, including modern garment production, foundries, construction, petrochemicals, synthetic footwear and information and communication technology.

Kerala derives advantages in these sectors because of the availability of skilled professionals and strong foundations in the areas of health and education. The session will also consider possibilities for cooperation between industry and academia in this regard.

Registration for the conference is not required. To participate, please log onto www.keralalooksahead.com.