Andhra a potential destination for UAE's investments: UAE Minister Al Marri

UAE's Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri said his country was keen to invest along India's eastern coastline and that Andhra Pradesh could emerge as a key destination for UAE's investments. He also welcomed the arrival of leading global companies and data centre projects, including Google in Andhra Pradesh, noting that these developments reflected the State's ability to attract major investments.

Minister Al Marri is in Visakhapatnam to participate in the CII Partnership Summit ongoing CII Partnership Summit on Thursday(12th Nov) and Friday(13th Nov). Minister Al Marri met CM Naidu ahead of the CII Summit, where the duo discussed investment opportunities.

During the meeting, CM Naidu invited UAE's leading firms to explore investment opportunities in Andhra's food processing sector. He highlighted that fruits grown in the Rayalaseema region were already being exported to international markets. He explained that the State Government was developing Rayalaseema as a global horticulture hub with an investment of Rs 1 lakh crore. The Chief Minister invited UAE-based agri-food company Silal to participate in the food cluster proposed to be established by the UAE.

Further, he said, "Andhra Pradesh offered immense opportunities for investment in the procurement, processing and export of agricultural and food products. The proposed grounding of the Dubai-based Floormaster industry in Chittoor district also came up for discussion". Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu urged the UAE Minister to facilitate an early decision on the proposed food cluster.

Speaking about the diverse opportunities in the state, CM Naidu

elaborated on the investment potential in sectors such as maritime, aerospace and defence, and called upon UAE companies to explore them. The Chief Minister assured that Andhra Pradesh was ready to work closely with the UAE in these domains.

'UAE considers importing shrimp from Andhra'

UAE Minister Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri appreciated the newly constructed Bhogapuram Airport in Visakhapatnam, describing it as excellent. Further, he congratulated Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on the development of the airport.

The UAE delegation informed the Chief Minister that it was exploring the possibility of importing shrimp and other aquaculture products from Andhra Pradesh. It also revealed that 12 more UAE-based firms had expressed interest in investing in the proposed food cluster in Andhra Pradesh. Officials and representatives of various UAE-based companies attended the meeting.