'9 southern US states account for over 27% of US-India trade'

"The nine states we service account for more than 27 per cent of US-India's bilateral trade. What is heartening is the increasing participation of Indian companies here," he said.

"We have Mahindras and Tata Consultancy Services which recently created 700 jobs in San Antonio. Wellspun in Arkansas operates five manufacturing plants and Gas Authority of India Ltd has established a wholly owned subsidiary based in Houston," said Arora, who is leaving Houston in August after his four-year tenure to become India's Ambassador to Qatar.

Besides Florida and Louisiana, the Houston Consulate provides service to Indian community and businesses in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas states.

Arora's replacement Parvathaneni Harish will arrive towards the end of July, according to sources.

"In 2011, we provided 133,376 Consular services. In terms of such services, the Indian Consulate in Houston ranks among the top 10 Indian missions in the world," he said.