India trade office opened

New Delhi post to help diversify trade: Redford

Premier Alison Redford opened a new trade office Tuesday in New Delhi as she continues her mission of promoting Alberta to the Indian market.

The new office is the latest trade outpost opened in recent years by the Alberta government in such countries as South Korea, China, Germany, and the United States.

This latest office will play a crucial part in continuing to encourage trade and investment between the two regions by “providing onthe-ground resources and connecting Alberta and India companies,” the government said in a news release.

“Alberta and India are already partners.

“Between 2008 and 2012 two-way trade between us averaged more than $268 million a year,” Redford said in an audio clip released by her office.

“But I believe that there’s much more room to diversify and to grow,” she continued.

“As India expands domestic exploration and production in oil and gas, even more opportunities for collaboration and investment will open up, including many beyond energy.”

She said more than 640 Alberta companies worked through the province’s network of international offices to participate in trade missions.

The opening of the office follows Redford’s attendance at Petrotech 2014, an energy conference hosted by India’s oil ministry, where she was joined by about 20 Albertabased energy companies.

The province has also signed agricultural agreements with the states of Meghalaya and Punjab.

Redford’s six-day mission in India continues Wednesday in Mumbai, where she is scheduled to attend a business reception.

The trip’s tab is estimated at roughly $120,200, including the costs for Human Services Minister Manmeet Bhullar and association minister Naresh Bhardwaj to accompany Redford in India.