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Trade talk: Keen on biz with Punjab, Bulgaria comes calling
Both sides decide to explore opportunities in auto, education, pharma and engineering goods sectors; to hold virtual meet next month
Bulgarian ambassador Eleonora Dimitrova, who was here on her first visit to explore trade ties with Punjab, could not have asked for more.
The two sides have agreed to pursue business opportunities in auto, pharmaceutical, education, engineering goods and tourism sectors after a slew of meetings with the state’s top officers, entrepreneurs, business associations and, last but not the least, Punjabi film producers.
Dimitrova, who held a detailed talk with chief secretary Vini Mahajan among others during her visit to the state, said a virtual meet will be organised to bring together businesses of Bulgaria and Punjab to create possibilities and identify areas for cooperation.
“A government delegation with some entrepreneurs from Punjab may also visit Bulgaria later in the year. We share a lot of similarities in agriculture, components and auto components. At present, eight out of 10 cars manufactured in Europe have auto parts from Bulgaria,” the Bulgarian ambassador said before winding up her three-day visit to the region during which she made a strong pitch for her country as the gateway to Europe.
The talks between the two sides also cantered on the education sector. “Bulgaria offers excellent opportunities in tertiary education, particularly courses in mathematics, linguistics, medicine and information technology, in both public and private institutions. These courses are acceptable across Europe,” she said. The ambassador also met representatives of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), PHDCCI. Invest Punjab chief executive officer Rajat Agarwal said there was no significant business investment from Bulgaria till now, but lot of potential exists for cooperation in auto, animal feed and pharma sectors. “IT and education sectors also have opportunities. We will also coordinate with Bulgarian companies already having presence in India for the virtual event being planned in mid-May and promote Punjab for their expansion projects,” he said.
Pollywood invited
Dimitrova also met Punjabi filmmakers led by Punjabi Film Producers Association Charanjit Singh Walia to woo them to Bulgaria’s exotic locations - its snow-capped mountains, beaches, rivers and forests – with low cost, availability of trained crews and quick permissions being other advantages. “Film shooting in Bulgaria is about 30% cheaper than in other countries. Bollywood has already shot some movies there,” she said, rattling off the names of films like Brahmastra, Shivaay, Dilwale and Bahubali.
