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Journalism of Courage
BONN, MAY 2: Several German companies have wrapped up deals with Indian firms for import of computer software from India while others are scouting around for Indian partners for joint venture projects in the sector.
quot;We are serious participants in the growth of the Indian software industry and have concrete projects in mind for which Indian partners were being sought,quot; a cross section of German industry representatives said. They were dwelling on ways and means to expand scope of bilateral cooperation in this sector during promotional events for a visiting team of Indian software companies to Germany recently.
The trip was organised by the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce IGCC jointly with regional chambers of commerce in Germany, the Central Association of Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers and The Information Technology Association.
Speaking at the inaugural event in Frankfurt, India8217;s ambassador here Ronen Sen said Indian and German firms should explore possibility of setting up joint ventures and strategic alliances in addition to sourcing software from India. Noting that there was vast untapped potential in software cooperation between the two countries, Sen said Indian software was suitable not only for large companies but also for small and medium enterprises, which constitute one of the most rapidly growing sectors of the German economy.
Sen pointed out that while Indian software exports have been growing exponentially, only 21 per cent of these are destined for Europe as against 58 per cent for the US. Hence, there was much scope for furthercooperation in this area.
Embassy officials here said that the Indian delegation8217;s visit was a positive development and needs to be followed up. Indian companies have already executed orders for German firms and have been averaging a growth rate of 160 per cent in the last few years, the sources pointed out. Though the stated goal of the delegation was to establish new contacts and explore new markets, Indian firms are, also keen to reduce dependence on the US market, sources said.
Wipro and the software arms of Larsen and Toubro and Mahindras were among the delegation which also included representatives of ten Bangalore-based companies. German industry representatives admitted that software imports from India were low despite India8217;s ability to churn out world-class software at low costs.
