Netherlands confident of biz tie up with UP to be beneficial

The Netherlands today exuded confidence that business and technology cooperation with Uttar Pradesh will take concrete shape for mutual benefit of both the regions.
"With 200 million people and a reasonable growth rate, UP holds enormous potential for business cooperation and collaboration in technology upgradation," said Alphonsus Stoelinga, who was leading a Dutch delegation visiting the state.
"The tremendous prospects here have been taken up by The Netherlands very seriously and it is signified by newly opened Netherlands 'Trade Desk' in Lucknow," he said before wrapping up the state's visit.
The delegation was on a two-day state visit which ended today.

The Ambassador appreciated the setting up of 'single window' facility by the State government in the form of Netherlands Desk, headed by MD, UP State Tourism Development Corporation Shashank Vikram.
The 20-member delegation from Netherlands today held meetings with Principal Secretaries of various departments under the Chairmanship of Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC) VN Garg.

Principal Secretary, Infrastructure and Industrial development Sanjiv Saran informed that agriculture, dairy, food processing and cold-chains had been recognised as priority areas for cooperation between UP and Netherlands.
Besides, Netherlands would provide extensive technology cooperation in road building, street lighting, heritage lighting, waste water treatment, irrigation technology, healthcare, etc.

"A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed between CSA Agriculture University, Kanpur and Wageningen University, Netherlands to set up Centre for Excellence for potato research and extension," Saran said.
He said a mega food park at Moradabad, which is being set up with Dutch tie-up in 90 acres of land and a dairy each at NOIDA and Meerut will be modernised for high-value product diversification and upgrading of processing technology.
Rabobank, the global leader in Food and Agri financing, may collaborate with UP Cooperative Bank for possible adoption of working mechanism here, he said, adding that the bank will do the match-making between the Dutch investors and sectors here for investment.

Dutch have also offered to introduce technology for making tube-wells compatible with solar power, water treatment technology for restoration of lakes, including Motijheel at Lucknow and elevated roads on drains (Nallah).
Netherland will collaborate in mobile healthcare vans for encephalitis detection in eastern UP on the lines of cancer screening vans under operation there, he added.