Japan to take up warehousing projects in Haryana

New Delhi, Sep 26 (UNI) Buoyed by the response received from the country in view of trade and business initiatives, Japan will take up developmental projects including free trade warehousing schemes in India.

''Japan is looking at two projects in India. First, where in the state of Haryana has agreed to provide 50,000 acres of land for creating special zones. Next, we will build free trade warehouses, India wants to have them at six places. The first in the series will be at Greater Noida, near Delhi,'' Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) Chairman (International Economic Committee) Nobuo Ohashi told reporters here today.

The country will be cooperating with the Indian Commerce and Finance Ministries and provide logistics for the projects, he added.

The warehousing scheme is very much in progress and developments can be expected soon.

However, some difficulties are being faced in acquisition of lands for the projects, as the authority to distribute lands rests with the state governments.

''Even as the Central Government is taking keen interest in the issue, the state governments are reluctant to issue permissions,'' Mr Ohashi said.

JCCI Chairman Nobuo Yamaguchi said India is known for supreme IT and software capabilities. ''Our effort is to combine Indian software skills with Japan's manufacturing capabilities, to make the former a big manufacturing hub.'' A Japanese business delegation, including top officials of Mitsubishi Corp, Honda Motor Co Ltd, Mitsui Fudosan Co Ltd and Asahi Kasei Corp, is currently on a visit to India.

UNI CS PKS DS1806