d - Mahratta Chamber Of Commerce Industries & Agriculture Pune

Other areas: The Minister of Mines and Energy Mining investment in Peru
of Brazil announced in February 2011 amounted to US$4.02 billion in 2010
Dynamic plans are also underway
by several other Indian companies like
Havell's, Godrej, Videocon, BEML,
that Brazil would invest 270 billion
dollars in the next two decades in the
mining sector and triple the production
of gold, iron and copper by 2030. This
and this is expected to increase in the
coming years. Analysts predict that in
2011 and 2012 alone, at least USD29
billion of mining investment will go into
Essel Propack, Pidilite, Vijai Electricals
offers opportunities for investment as Peru and Colombia.
and others to tap the business and
industrial potential of Latin America,
through acquisitions and tie-ups.
well as exports of mining machinery and
materials.
Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and
Paraguay are expanding the area of
PRAJ industries of Pune has
executed ethanol projects worth 35
million dollars in Colombia. They have
entered into a JV with a Brazilian
company to build a new ethanol plant in
Brazil. Kirloskar is also planning
investments in Argentina.
Investment in commercial forestry
and paper pulp in Argentina, Brazil,
Uruguay and Chile can yield plentiful
timber and paper pulp.
Indian companies should acquire
farmland in the region to grow soy,
sunflower, pulses and sugarcane to
agriculture and increasing their output,
encouraged by the high prices and
demand as well as by the long term
concern of global food and energy
security. This is good news for Indian
exporters of agrochemicals and
equipments and machinery such as
tractors.
Suggested focus areas in Latin
America for Indian investors and
source edible oil, pulses, sugar and biofuels.
Indeed Latin America is a land of
exporters
immense possibilities and beckons the
The Colombian Minister of Energy best of Indian industry.
Indian companies should target
Brazil for projects and supply of
materials for the 200 billion dollars
infrastructure projects for the World Cup
2014 and the Olympics 2016. They
should also focus on the opportunities in
the five year plan to spend 220 billion
dollars by Petrobras (this is the largest
corporate investment plan in the world
at this moment) in petroleum exploration
and production.
and Mining announced in August 2010
that he expected investment of 28
billion dollars in oil exploration and
production in the next four years and
increase in the oil production to 1.4
million bpd by 2014 from 963,000 bpd in
June 2010. Colombia is emerging as
South America's third-largest oil
producer behind Brazil and Venezuela.
This opens up opportunities for Indian
investors and exporters.
-------------------------------------------------
Note: The views expressed here are
personal and do not reflect those of the
government.
-------------------------------------------------
R. Viswanathan is Ambassador of
India to Argentina, Uruguay and
Paraguay since 2007.
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