Surat
Foreign delegates at the two-day Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference (VGRC) – South Gujarat in Surat, which commenced on Friday, highlighted growing international interest in the state’s industrial ecosystem.
Representatives from Russia and Japan pointed to growing opportunities in sectors such as semiconductors and renewable energy.
Aleksandr Fursov, Deputy Consul General of Russia in Mumbai, said the conference reflects the depth of economic ties between the two countries.
Russia and India have a long-standing tradition of bilateral economic cooperation. We always view conferences like Vibrant Gujarat as a great opportunity for business people to meet each other, get to know each other better, and learn about the opportunities each country has and is ready to offer to its partners, he told IANS.
A delegate from Japan, Onio, underlined Gujarat’s growing role in emerging industries.
Today I joined this conference as a speaker in the Japan session to introduce our organisation. From my understanding, the semiconductor industry is a very important and rapidly growing sector here in Gujarat. Also, Gujarat is known as the state with the highest solar panel installations in India, he said.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel inaugurated VGRC in Surat.
The two-day event, being held on May 1 and 2 at Auro University, is part of the state government’s effort to extend the Vibrant Gujarat model to regional hubs and promote localised investment opportunities.
The conference is being held alongside the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Exhibition (VGRE), bringing together industries, MSMEs, startups and government bodies from districts across South Gujarat, including Surat, Bharuch, Navsari, Valsad, Tapi and Dang.
It features seminars, sector-focused discussions, business-to-business and business-to-government meetings, as well as a reverse buyer-seller meet aimed at facilitating partnerships.
Industry representatives also pointed to the evolution of the Vibrant Gujarat initiative over the years.