Patna: A Bihar Chamber of Commerce and Industries delegation on Tuesday discussed mutual trade, industrial relations with their Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and Ceylon National Chamber of Industries counterparts in Colombo and wooed entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka to invest in various sectors, especially agriculture and tourism, in Bihar.
A 20-member delegation from the Bihar chamber, led by its president P.K. Agrawal, is in Sri Lanka on an eight-day visit since January 17 with proposals to boost mutual trade, industry and tourism. They will return on January 24.
"In the meeting, we stressed on the fact that Bihar has a rich cultural heritage, Bodhgaya and numerous other important sites related to Buddhism, fertile land, abundant water, great agriculture and skilled labour. Entrepreneurs and businessmen from our southern neighbourhood can come and set-up their base in our state with ease," Agrawal said after meeting the Ceylon chamber and Ceylon national chamber officials.
The Bihar delegation, which includes the trade body's secretary general Amit Mukherji, vice-president Mukesh Kumar Jain, honorary treasurer Vishal Tekriwal, former president O.P. Sah and others, said industries and businesses related to food processing and agriculture offered immense opportunities.
"We told our Sri Lankan brothers that the Bihar government under the leadership of chief minister Nitish Kumar has launched its third agriculture roadmap, which was a first of its kind in the country. We also informed them that Bihar was among the leading producers of maize and wheat and was at the third and seventh positions in the country in terms of production of vegetables and fruits, respectively," Agrawal added.
Bihar is also among the leading producers of mango, litchi and makhana (fox nut).
The Bihar and Lanka trade bodies also discussed opportunities in tourism, especially in the context of the Buddhist circuit, and how the state government was trying to develop facilities such as accommodation, public utilities, roads, highways and airports for pilgrims and tourists to ensure their hassle-free stay.
Agrawal said discussions with the Sri Lanka trade bodies have been positive.
