Following a meeting with Mr. Gianfranco Alois, Minister for Trade and Industry, in the Regional Government of Campania, (South-west Italy) India’s Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Shri EVKS Elangovan, has called for increased cooperation with Italy in the fields of leather, handicrafts and design. He said the two sides discussed ways to expand bilateral cooperation in the fields of information technology, tourism, energy and small and medium sectors.
India is developing a world class design institute at Ahmedabad and as Italy is acknowledged as a centre of excellence in design, Mr. Alois suggested collaboration with the Naples University of Italy to undertake faculty development programmes. Shri Elangovan said that India is looking to Italy not only for enhanced exports, but also to promote partnership in manufacture, technology and marketing in the leather sector.
“India’s low production cost, leather availability, and abundant skilled labour can be synergised with Italian brand image and design capabilities to become world leaders in leather goods,” the Minister said. The Council of Leather Exports has already taken steps to establish a ‘leather desk’ attached to the Indian embassy in Rome to organise exclusive investment promotion programmes in a more focused manner.
