Investment Promotion Seminar for Maharashtra, India

September 2015

Welcoming Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of the Indian state of Maharashtra, which is home to Mumbai—the country’s largest commercial city, JETRO held an investment promotion seminar focused on the state both in Osaka on September 9 and Tokyo on September 11. A total of 351 representatives attended both venues, mainly from manufacturing companies considering entry into this region. During the seminar, the start of applications for occupancy was announced for the Supa Industrial Park dedicated to Japanese firms, the first of its kind in Maharashtra.

In the Tokyo seminar, JETRO Chairman and CEO Hiroyuki Ishige emphasized the potential for Maharashtra, which is located at the center of the Deli-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, to serve as a hub toward promoting the “Look West” strategy that targets the west market spreading beyond India. He said that based on the memorandum of understanding concluded with the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) in April 2013, JETRO has provided support including conducting basic research and giving advice regarding the Supa Industrial Park and expressed his commitment to enhancing assistance for Japanese companies entering the state.

Ambassador of India to Japan Deepa Gopalan Wadhwa highlighted an upturn in the macro economy of her country since the beginning of 2015.

In his keynote speech, CM Fadnavis, who has taken initiative in developing infrastructure for his state, introduced the proactive approach his administration has adopted under the unique slogan “Make in Maharashtra”, which was set in line with the “Make in India” strategy promoted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He emphasized that his state is an industrial center in India which constitutes 15% of the national GDP and has attracted 30% of total inward investment into the country, while most foreign-capital manufacturers in Maharashtra are auto companies from Europe and the US. He also expressed his hope to accelerate entry of Japanese companies through the “Japan Desk”, which the state government has recently established, as well as the Supa Industrial Park.

In the following presentations, Chief Executive Officer Bhushan Gagrani of the MIDC and Director-General Takehiko Furukawa of JETRO Mumbai gave a detailed explanation of the investment environment in Maharashtra and of the Supa Industrial Park respectively.