A Norwegian business delegation led by the country's minister for trade and industry, Borge Brende, was in Bangalore to forge better ties with India in areas related to marine biotechnology and aquaculture. Addressing an Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises (ABLE) symposium titled “India and Norway: Finding solutions together,� Brende said that he believed that like IT, India had the potential to become a leader in the biotechnology arena. “India has impressively developed its agriculture sector and is now in the process of transforming its food industry. I look forward to promote cooperation between Norway and India in biotech and food safety,� he added.

He also informed that Karnataka minister of state for agriculture Srinivasa Gowda had expressed interest in capacity building in fisheries, marine biotechnology and aquaculture. The Karnataka government plans to develop a marine biotechnology and aquaculture research center and park in Uttara Kannada district of the state. A trade delegation of 40 Norwegian companies representing various sectors accompanied the minister on his visit to India. Brende stated that the current volume of trade between the countries was around $300 million in 2004, which is expected to grow by 44 percent this year. 

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