24-member German business delegation to visit Bengal

Kolkata, Mar 7: A 24-member German delegation from the state of Saarland will visit Bengal tommorrow scouting for business opportunities in the state in pharma, machinery, steel and manufacturing sectors.

''The delegation, led by Minister for Economic Affairs and Labour Hans Peter Georgi, comprise 16 companies from various sectors, government representatives and local chambers as well,'' German Engineering Federation VDMA Director Rajesh Nath told UNI today.

The delgation would meet Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Industry Minister Nirupam Sen. They would also have separate meetings with various pharma companies, including East India Pharmaceuticals, one of the oldest company based in Kolkata.

The delegation would reach Kolkata in the last leg of the tour after visiting Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad.

The German companies want to explore the business opportunities in the state before investing or entering into tie-ups, he mentioned.

The delegation is mainly represented by Small and Medium Enterprises and want to collaborate with Bengal-based companies.

The Pharma companies would visit the factory of East India Pharmaceuticals. The delegates would try to enter into tie ups, mainly in research and development and technology exchange. Pharma companies in this delegation, include Endotherm, a contract research organisation, Amapharus, Across Barriers and K D Pharma.

UNI