Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s aggressive ‘Make in AP’ sales pitch during his ongoing visit to Japan paid off with Isuzu showing interest in establishing a pick-up truck manufacturing unit at Sri City in Chittoor district.
Mr. Naidu got this assurance when he visited Isuzu Motors headquarters in Tokyo and met its executive vice president, Masanori Katayama. “Sri City could be a good destination for us. Since you have come here yourself, I think many more Japanese firms might want to invest in Andhra Pradesh,” he told the Chief Minister. Mr. Katayama said the company was scouting for place in India for the pick-up truck unit but were concerned about human resources and technical capabilities. Thailand was the biggest market for these trucks and his company either topped or was at second position in this segment. The new facility they were planning would be the most modern compared to the other 44 units they had across the world.
“By coming to A.P. we will have good access to Indian market,” he added, according to a note issued by the A.P. government. Mr. Naidu requested Mr. Katayama to bring more Japanese companies, especially small and medium component manufacturers to Andhra Pradesh. The State was strategically located and accessible to Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai. It was strong in the areas of technical education and human resources and there was cultural similarity too with many Buddhist sites dotting the landscape of A.P. He spoke of introducing Japanese language in one of the universities in the State.
Mr. Naidu got similar assurances from other companies and banks during his visit. Japan Bank for International Cooperation Governor and CEO Hiroshi Watanabe promised to help the State in inter-city connectivity and setting up water treatment plans in cities. The Japanese International Cooperation Agency told Mr. Naidu how A.P. could leverage its focus area of Bangalore-Chennai Industrial Corridor using Krishnapatnam node.
Mayewaka Manufacturing Company said it could support in cold storage technology for the mega food parks planned by the State and Kubota Corporation in improving agriculture productivity.