Naidu offer sops to Japanese investors

Hyderabad, Nov 24 (INN): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday promised several sops to the Japanese investors and urged them to set up their plants in Andhra Pradesh.

Naidu and his team of 18 delegates are on a 4-day visit to attract investments into the state. On the first-day of his tour, he met Naoki Kobayashi, Managing Director and General Manager for Agriculture Machinery & Equipment Business, Yanmar, according to a press release issued by the Chief Minister's Office here.

Naoki gave a presentation on how to increase the yield of rice per acre, land preparation, nursery and planting, crop management and harvesting. He told the Chief Minister that these techniques, if used effectively, would give 50% more profit to the farmers. Yanmar has recently tied-up with Tamil Nadu-based Murugappa Group.

The Chief Minister extended an invitation to Yanmar to explore opportunities in AP and help the state in making agriculture profitable and sustainable. He explained about the state government's collaboration with ICRISAT in soil testing and other practices to make farming a profitable vocation.

In his presentation, the Chief Minister invited the Yanmar Group to set up a manufacturing facility in the state. He added that manufacturing in Andhra Pradesh would enable an access to all the markets in Asia because of the ports. 'Our single-window clearance, rapid approvals and 24X7 power are the attractive points,' he said.

In his second meeting for the day, the Chief Minister met Shihenobu Nagamori, chairman of NIDEC. During his conversation with the Chief Minister, Nagamori said that it is difficult to do business with India because of red tape and slow processing. The Chief Minister replied saying that India has changed, both at the Centre and State level, and it would get better in a few years.

The Chief Minister assured Nagamori of NIDEC that, 'If you want to start a manufacturing unit in our state, we can give clearances in a week's time. On the 8th day, you can start your process.'

He added that India is progressing rapidly and that AP has become a favourite destination for investments. He said that AP has skilled workforce and that the Centre and State relationship is strong and harmonious.

Nagamori informed the Chief Minister that once they start their operations in India, they could use it as a base for exports.

The Chief Minister also made a presentation on the investments opportunities in AP and the Japanese version of the film was screened before leaving for dinner hosted by NIDEC.