Modi, Merkel to jointly open Hannover Fair; 400 Indian firms to participate

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will jointly inaugurate this year's German trade fair, 'Hannover Messe 2015'.

With India as the partner-country, the fair will witness the participation of 400 companies from across the country.

Hannover Messe 2015, the world's largest fair for industrial technology, will be held in Hannover, Germany from 13 to 17 April.

The partner-country project is being implemented under the direction of ministry of commerce, through the Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC), CII and India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF).

''Hannover Messe is the mother of all trade fairs, and being located in the centre of Europe, is the perfect platform for India to showcase its ambitious plans for the country's future with its focus on 'Make in India' ''.

''This is more than just a trade fair; it is an ecosystem of manufacturing industries and a place that is open for business. The states of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra have confirmed their participation; we are awaiting confirmation from Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh and I hope Karnataka will also be a part of the Indian delegation in Hannover,'' said Jorn Rohde, Consul General of Germany in Chennai.

Several medium and small-scale industries are expected to participate in the Hannover Fair as MSMEs are constantly looking to upgrade technology and keep pace with the latest in machinery/equipment, to be able to compete with the rest of the world.

''Hannover is the right place for them to see and experience next-gen technologies,'' said Chidananda Rajamane, President, Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association (KASSIA).

This year, a record 50 member-companies of KASSIA have confirmed participation.

''Many member-companies from Belagavi, Hubballi and Kalaburagi regions want to visit the fair. We are trying to accommodate all of them the world.

EEPC is subsidising the cost of participation by 50 per cent for MSMEs and will also provide up to 80 per cent reimbursement for delegates to ship their exhibits to Hannover. Otherwise, the cost of direct participation is €3,700.

The Indian pavilion at Hannover Messe 2015 will be the largest this year with 350–400 exhibitors participating.

''This is a great opportunity for Indian exporters to meet buyers. Export of engineering goods has registered a record performance of $62 billion in 2013-2014 and has been growing steadily. In the last eight months, from April to November alone, it has grown to $46.5 billion,'' said R Seshagiri, deputy regional chairman, EEPC India.