Tamil Nadu is targeting $12 billion exports of electronic products this financial year. The state had achieved the target of $10 billion exports in electronics last financial year. This accounts for more than 30% of the national share, said Industries Minister TRB Rajaa.
Delivering keynote address at the Confederation of Indian Industry-organized ‘Investopia Global’, an international conference with Tamil Nadu and United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, he said the state is also keen on venturing into quantum computing and talks are on with Union government to get one of the Quantum Computing Centres, sponsored by the Government of India.
Highlighting Tamil Nadu’s keenness to collaborate with the UAE on agriculture, food security, space technology and drones, he said the vision extends beyond the UAE to include the Middle East and the African market as well in the future. He said the flagship Emirati trade event was brought to Chennai this year by Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, UAE Minister of Economy and Chairman of Investopia, following his personal request when both of them met in Davos earlier this year.
On a lighter vein, the minister said to improve the trade relationship with Tamil Nadu, he presented the UAE minister with a pair of Made in Tamil Nadu sneakers, stitched together in Cheyyar, Tamil Nadu. “Now, every time he goes for a run, a piece of Tamil Nadu will also run along with him,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion, the UAE minister highlighted that the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) on May 1, 2022 between UAE and India has boosted the trade between the two countries. Prior to signing the agreement, the trade between both India and UAE was less than $50 billion. Now it has grown to $75 billion, he said.
Alia bint Abdulla Al Mazrouei, UAE Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs, highlighted the collaboration and connection between the two countries.
Industries Secretary Arun Roy highlighted that the requirement of power for the state would be 11 times more and it has to come from renewables. He said the state is likely to come out with a policy to re-energize windmills and make land available for solar power.
