US Ambassador optimistic on Brand Bengal

Barely a year after Ratan Tata shifted his small car project to the other end of the country, the US ambassador to India, Timothy J Roemer, on Wednesday remained optimistic of further American investments flowing into the state.

At the end of his two-day maiden visit to Kolkata, Roemer said that he disagreed with the idea that the interest of US investors in the West Bengal had fizzled out and maintained that the prospects here remained positive.

Roemer's visit comes shortly after Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Michael S Owen came to the city last month. “I think the people on the ground are positive about the relationship.

But as with any other part of the country, they say that transparency, the rule of law, equal opportunity and reward for risk will help to bring in more American investments,” Roemer said, referring to his meeting with representatives of the American Chamber of Commerce (Amcham) here.

Citing the example of US snack food company Frito Lays, which is continuing a successful innings in the state since setting up shop here in 2004, Roemer said that American investors were interested in sectors such as mining among others. “There is a lot of potential in the state,” he added.

Although the rhetoric around Brand Bengal has been around for almost six years, the state receives substantially less American investments compared to the rest of the country.