Kerala Eyes Investment From Taiwan

As part of the efforts to provide support to its growing software industry, Kerala is trying to attract companies from Taiwan to invest in the electronic hardware sector in the State. A team of Government officials is leaving for Taiwan on Friday for showcasing the State''s ''inherent strengths'' in the electronics field at seminars and interactive sessions there over the next one week. A group of local entrepreneurs are also part of the team, according to officials in the Industries Department.

They pointed out that South India is a major hub of software industry in the world and Kerala has set in motion major policy initiatives to keep pace with other States in the region. However, the electronic hardware sector has yet to rise to the desired levels so as to complement the software industry''s growth.The officials said that Taiwan has emerged as the global leader in the manufacture of electronic hardware, especially computer chips, overtaking other countries such as Japan and China.

An inherent strength of Kerala in the electronics sector is that it was the first in the country to promote a State electronics development corporation (Keltron), a model that was later emulated by many other States.