British Columbia keen on partnering India Inc; eyes energy, mining

New Delhi, Dec 9 (UNI) British Columbia is keen on partnering with India Inc for key sectors like energy, mining, education, tourism and technology in a bid to promote trade with Canada.

''We are trying to build partnerships across a large spectrum of sectors such as energy, mining, education, life sciences, digital media, agricultural processing, tourism and technology,'' Premier of British Columbia Gordon Campbell said.

The bilateral trade between the two countries touched two billion dollars during 2006-07. India's exports to Canada include textiles and clothing, jewellery, diamonds and chemicals as well as variety of manufactured items.

Premier Campbell, earlier this week, met Commerce Minister Kamal Nath. He said the province would shortly sign a memorandum of understanding with the Indian Ministry of Science and Technology.

Mr Nath had said a bilateral investment promotion and protection agreement is under negotiation between the two countries.

Canada's exports to India include pulp and paper, newsprint, metals and agricultural products.

India is the 33rd largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Canada and FDI in Canada by Indian software companies has increased rapidly.

Top sectors attracting FDI inflows from January 2000 to July 2007 from Canada were services sector (47.69 per cent); chemicals other than fertilisers (7.66 per cent); computer software and hardware (6.44 per cent); metallurgical industries (6.32 per cent); and trading (6.13 per cent).

British Columbia is a leader in environmental technologies with about 1,300 companies active across the province generating revenues of 1.9 billion dollars and employing about 18,000 people and is home to 15 research centres of excellence and other clean technology research institutes.

UNI