Kamal Nath (centre) flanked by Patricia Hewitt, UK?s secretary of state for trade and industry, and RPG vice-chairman Sanjiv Goenka in Calcutta on Wednesday. Picture by Kishor Roy Chowdhury

Calcutta, Jan. 12: The Indo-British trade potential is yet to be fully realised, according to Patricia Hewitt, UK?s secretary of state for trade and industry.

?Trade between India and the UK is good, but not good enough,? said Hewitt in the 11th Partnership Summit organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry here today.

Speaking at a session on Indo-British relations, she said, ?In the last decade, the relationship between India and the UK has grown rapidly. Both countries are hungry for more. The purpose of the Joint Economic & Trade Committee (Jetco) declaration, proposed to be signed tomorrow, is to improve bilateral trade and investment relationships.?

India is increasingly becoming attractive to UK companies as a high value-added partner, Hewitt added. She hoped to see many more joint ventures in the future.

Inviting Indian partnership in science and technology, Hewitt said, ?Today economies are knowledge-driven and we need to invest in skills and innovate. We need to ensure higher investment in education in our countries. Britain has just 1 per cent of the world population but produces 12 per cent of globally acknowledged scientists.?

Union commerce minister Kamal Nath said, ?A trade volume of $6 billion is not exactly what can be called the unleashing of true trading potential of India and the UK. We would like to take it to $10 billion.?

Nath said India has attained the maturity to look at two-way integration of skills and investments.

?India needs to figure out how to marry the natural strengths available with her partners,? he said.

Regarding the Jetco, he said the government?s job is to provide a supporting framework to the industry and this is exactly what the committee seeks to do.

Digby Jones, director- general of UK?s Confederation of British Industry, said, ?There are many areas where India and the UK can work together. One such area is agriculture, where India can bring in its production strength and the UK that in technology.?