Industry advises Nadia district to fix priorities

Representatives of leading companies and chambers of commerce said that economy of district of Nadia in West Bengal could be improved through investments in select sectors like tourism, pottery-based handicrafts, weaving, floriculture and edible oil.

The opinion emerged at an interactive session, which was organised by Satya Brata Mukerjee, Union minister of state, planning, atomic energy, space and commerce & industry, on Saturday at Krishnanagar, the district headquarters.

Mukerjee organised the seminar which was attended by representatives of ITC, Gujarat Ambuja, BOC India, Peerless General Finance & Investment, Khaitan group, Titagarh Industries, Kusum Products, Rasoi, Purti Vanaspati, Swastik Refinery, Kanchan Oil, Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Bengal National Chamber of Commerce.

S Sivakumar, chief executive, international business division, ITC Ltd said the company might extend its e-chopal network in the district provided the crop pattern in the area changed. The existing crop pattern did not match the basket of crop ITC handled through its e-choupal network. He added that telephone service in the district required to be improved.

P Dugar of Kusum Products said the farmers might opt for cultivation of oil seeds. In that case, the district could be turned into a hub of edible oil business, especially due to its proximity to Bangladesh. Currently, jute and paddy are the main crops of the district.

He said the edible oil companies in the state were ready to take "calculated risk" for development of vanaspati industry in the district, which, he opined, had potential to emerge as a major edible oil maker.