Northern Ireland Trade Mission to visit Kolkata

Kolkata, Sep 19 (UNI) An eight-member Northern Ireland Trade Delegation is arriving here tomorrow for a four-day maiden visit to look for business opportunities in West Bengal as well as negotiate possible joint ventures with local partners.

The delegation has been organised by Invest Northern Ireland, the region's economic development agency, and is led by Lord Diljit Rana, Vice-President of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The mission has got off to a promising start even before arriving in the city with CDE Ireland, a company specialising in mineral washing and processing equipment, forming a joint venture with Kolkata-based Torsa Machines to set up CDE Asia Ltd, a sales and technical support company headquartered in Kolkata.

Mr Iain Walker, CDE Ireland's Export Development Manager, said his company had decided to invest in India to build on the success the company has already experienced in this market.

"We see tremendous opportunities in India for our extensive range of equipment," Mr Walker said.

"We project strong growth over the next few years because of our expertise in the development of quality machinery that meets the specific requirments of individual sand and mineral processors," he said.

CDE has recently won business worth over pound 600,000 from customers in Orissa, Goa and Uttaranchal.

The delegation comprises senior executives from several leading Northern Ireland companies and from the University of Ulster.

The University has already developed academic and technology transfer partnerships with higher education institutions in Mumbai and Chennai.

Also represented in the delegation is Mivan, a company specialising in fast-track construction techniques, which has substantial business in Mumbai. Two companies, Mentas and Telestack, are visiting India for the first time.

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