Gujarat
AHMEDABAD: It was in 1960s that Japanese battery-maker Novino first charged up Gujarat’s investment scenario by setting up a unit in Vadodara. Barring Nissan Chemicals, which set up shop in 1970s in the state, there were no significant investment inflows from Japan into Gujarat after that. It took years before Hitachi, which set up an air-conditioner plant in Kadi, 40 km north of the state capital, in 2004.
Officials on either side toiled hard to take business ties forward but results were far from satisfying. Finally, the investment promises made by Japanese companies over the years have started to show on the ground. Last month, Idemitsu, a leading petroleum company, has identified land for its Rs 125-crore lubricant manufacturing plant in Jhagadia. A leading Japanese medical equipment maker is close to identifying land in central Gujarat for its unit.
