Kerala B2B Meet 2015 to Kickstart in Kochi Tomorrow
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As many as 470 buyers, including around 120 from outside the country, will take part in the Kerala Business to Business Meet 2015 to be held in Kochi from February 26. The three-day meet will focus on promoting seven sectors in the small-scale industries, Industries Minister P K Kunhalikutty said.
Noting that Kerala topped other states in the performance of small-scale industries, he said that the B2B would give thrust to the small-scale industrial sector in the state. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will inaugurate the meet.
The meet will highlight quality products to sustain the existing industry and enable its growth, Kunhalikutty said and added that it would give the buyers an opportunity for direct interaction and one-to-one discussion with the manufacturer.
Kunhalikutty also said that Kerala had been made a model state for its cluster development programmes in the small-scale sector. Of the 120 participants registered from outside the country, the largest number is from UAE (18) followed by Bangladesh (14). Tamil Nadu is the largest participant from the country in the meet, Industries Principal Secretary P H Kurian said.
Food Processing (Food & Spices), Handlooms, Textiles and Garments, Rubber, Wood-based Industries, Ayurveda and Herbal, Electrical, Electronics and Traditional sectors like Handicrafts, Bamboo are the seven sectors that will be showcased at the meet.
Kurian also said that the meet was partnered with FICCI, which had brought national and international buyers to the meet.
He said that the B2B meet aimed at creating wider markets for the small-scale entrepreneurs by ensuring participation of buyers and trading concerns from within and outside the country.
This will also increase the investor confidence in the state and accord overall growth of the state, he said.
The event is being organised by the Department of Industries and Commerce in association with the Directorate of Industries and Commerce, Directorate of Handloom and Textiles, Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation, KINFRA and SIDCO.