BY LALIT K JHA

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Governor of Alabama, Bob Riley, will lead a delegation of business leaders on an economic development mission to India in May.

“This economic development mission to India will be an outstanding opportunity for Alabama companies to meet their customers and to find new ones,” Governor Riley, said in a statement.

“When an Alabama company finds a customer in a growing market like India, they create jobs in Alabama through exports. There’s a tremendous market in India for everything that’s made in Alabama,” he said.

The announcement in this regard by the Alabama Governor was made after he met the visiting former India President, A P J Abdul Kalam Azad, who toured the State this week.

In a statement, the Governor’s office said exports from Alabama to India are increasing. Between January and August this year, the value of Alabama’s exports to India totalled $95 million. That’s almost as much as the state exported to India in all of 2008, $99 million.

In 2007, the State’s exports to India were $75 million.

The state’s top exports to India are chemicals, chemical products, plastics, automobiles and electrical machinery.

“The pace of our trade and investment relationship with India is accelerating and the potential exits for much more,” Riley said. “We want to promote and advance this relationship and bring new opportunities to citizens both in Alabama and in India,” he said.

In addition to meeting with Governor Riley, Kalam is making several other stops in Alabama. He also met with university leaders at Alabama State University and toured the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.        (PTI)