New Delhi, April 03: India today invited French businessmen to invest in the field of agri-products and dairy sector, while emphasising that there was immense scope for collaboration in developing varieties of grapes for wines. Welcoming direct investment from French entrepreneurs, Union MoS for food processing industries, N T Shanmugam said there is enough scope for India and France to develop suitable varieties of grapes for wines, for processing of grapes, for marketing of wines, and to set up an Institute of Enology and Viticulture.
He said the government was keen to rope in French expertise in developing special variety of grapes for producing champagne as well as in the field of maturation of wines.
Speaking at a function on Indo-French cooperation in food business, the minister said the government was also committed to implement the scheme of agri export zones, in an effort to take a comprehensive look at a particular produce/product located in a contiguous area, for the purpose of developing and sourcing raw materials, their processing or packaging, finally leading to exports.

However, Shanmugam said the level of processing and value addition is low. "We therefore, expect foreign direct investment and technologies from countries like France."
Describing, India as a market which cannot be missed or ignored while choosing potential foreign partners for investment, Jean-Louis Latour, minister counsellor, head of Economic Mission of France, said, the success or profitability of an investment, specially in joint ventures depends on a strong partnership and the shared interests of the two partners. Bureau Report