Jakarta, Oct 31 (IANS) 

The government of Central Java in Indonesia will facilitate Indian investment in the province, especially in sectors such as manufacturing, infrastructure and tourism.

Governor Ganjar Pranowo during a meeting Wednesday in the capital Semarang with ambassador Gurjit Singh also voiced his keenness to have more cooperation in the fields of culture and education. 

The Indian envoy was leading a 15-member India Business Forum (IBF) delegation to Central Java after the election of the new governor recently. 

A Business Roundtable of IBF delegation with the Central Java Investment Board and KADIN, the Indonesian chamber of commerce and industry, was also organized where the Indian delegation made presentations on various sectors of interest to Central Java, like IT, automotive and infrastructure. The Indonesian side gave a perspective of investment opportunities in the region. 

The meeting was addressed by Investment Board Chairman Yuni Astuti and KADIN chairman Kukrit Suryo Wicaksono who, while appreciating the visit of the IBF Delegation, promised to extend one-window service to the investors from India. 

Ambassador Singh invited Indonesian companies to invest in India and take part in fairs and exhibitions in India.

The IBF delegation included representatives from diverse sectors of Indian joint ventures in Indonesia; Tata Motors (automotive), Tata Consultancy Services (IT), SBI Indonesia (banking), ESSAR Group (infrastructure), Jindal Group (steel), Trimex Group (mining, cement), Bitratex Industries (textiles), Primayudha Mandirijaya (textiles), AK Goldenesia (agri products), Makmur Sejahtera (agri products) and Spins International School Surabaya (education).

The visit was part of the Indian embassy's outreach to the various regions of Indonesia. The ambassador emphasized that his mission to Central Java is for encouraging high-level B2B engagement. 

He said a number of Indian textile companies were already established in the region, and the Indian businessmen were looking for more investment opportunities in Central Java.

He added that there is already an investment of about $15 billion in Indonesia by Indians which would go up to $30 billion in the next five years. 

The Indian ambassador extended an invitation to the provincial governor to address the 20th Partnership Summit being organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in Bangalore Jan 27-29. 

Earlier, the embassy had taken such missions to Surabaya in East Java, Manado in North Sulawesi, Bali and Medan.