PVC dishes used in microwaves, potato chips and catalogue printing in exchange for hand tools, lubricants, industrial machinery and high-tech but cost-effective textile machinery.
This is the recipe for doing business by the group of industrialists from Uttar Pradesh, who will be visiting Guangz Hou in China to attend the 103rd Canton fair, the biggest bi-annual industrial and consumer fair. A delegation of about 50 businessmen, led by the Indian Industries Association (IIA), have their eyes set on importing products worth Rs 50 crore while the export target has been fixed between Rs 80-100 crore.
The fair, scheduled to start from April 15, would provide the IIA delegation with a platform to explore opportunities with the biggest manufacturer in the region.
To make this a reality, the IIA has already tied up with three chambers of commerce in China for facilitating meetings of these manufacturers with potential buyers in the fair.
Parveen Sadana, president IIA, said, “We are already in the process of matching the product and profiles of our member companies with that of Chinese companies and we feel that there are few manufacturers who stand a good chance of getting buyers in China.”
At the same time, it makes good business sense for the delegation to make the most of the visit by importing products or technology in which India lags behind. “Technology is where China is far ahead of us. Technology, added with competitive prices, has helped it beat the pulp out of our small and medium manufacturers. We will therefore try and bring in their technology to cater to our burgeoning population’s needs,” says DS Verma, the secretary IIA, adding that while Uttar Pradesh may not be able to boast of big industrial houses, but it has a large number of small and medium industries (SMEs), which contribute to around 60 per cent of the total handicraft export from India.
Pankaj Agarwal, a member of the IIA delegation who would visit China, has a pulp and paper manufacturing unit in Muzaffarnagar. He is seeing the fair as an opportunity for importing paper machinery from China. “I have already imported machines from there, but now I am exploring the prospect of importing it for others, too,” he