Kochi: Business enquiries worth Rs 400 crore were received by small and medium scale manufacturers at the three-day Vyapar 2017, which concluded here on Saturday. The meet, organised by the department of industries & commerce at Kochi Bolgatty Palace for small & micro enterprises (SMEs) witnessed more than 7,400 business interactions during the three days. As many as 437 buyers, including 80 international delegates, participated in the meet. Also, 334 business visitors registered on the spot.
“We selected the buyers through a stringent screening process after evaluating the laxities of the last two editions of the meet,” said director of industries and commerce P.M. Francis. “We also imposed a security fee, which would be reimbursed, for the buyers to identify the genuine delegates.” Vyapar 2017 gave more emphasis to southern states, Mr Francis said, adding the number of foreign buyers increased in this edition of the event. “The highest number of international delegates was from Japan,” he said.
A total of 200 SMEs from across Kerala participated in the meet. Food processing sector, which had the largest representation, received the most number of enquiries. Kerala Bureau of Industrial Promotion (K-BIP) is the nodal agency for this event. “When compared to the last edition, we had much potential buyers on board for Vyapar 2017, ensuring good business to the sellers,” said K-BIP CEO V. Rajagopal.
