Maputo, 31 Oct (AIM) – Mozambique and India intend to strengthen trade between the two countries, which is currently estimated at around five billion US dollars a year, according to a report in Tuesday’s issue of the Maputo daily “Noticias”.
According to the Indian Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dardeep Puri, speaking on Monday to reporters, shortly after an audience granted to him in Maputo by Mozambican President, Filipe Nyusi, “trade between our countries is around five billion dollars, but I believe that there is great potential for it to grow much more.”
The minister recalled that India’s investment in the energy sector in Mozambique amounts to around 11 billion dollars and is set to grow.
According to Puri, as India is one of the founding members of the Global Biofuels Alliance, which also includes Brazil and the United States, the possibility was discussed of helping Mozambique to produce biofuels, given its high potential.
“We greatly hope that Mozambique will join us and the other 21 countries who are members of this alliance”, said Puri.
The initiative, presented at the G20 Summit in New Delhi, India, aims to promote the sustainable production and use of biofuels around the world.
Puri also said that in addition to investment in the energy sector, Nyusi had expressed Mozambique’s interest in Indian investment in other sectors of activity such as the supply of rolling stock, and agricultural production.
“We are looking for other areas of investment to make our relations more vibrant”, he said, adding that relations between Mozambique and India go back several centuries.
(AIM)
Sg/Ad/pf (269)
