New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) Montana (US) Governor, Greg Gianforte, who is here with a delegation of more than 30 professionals from higher education and advanced technology, said on Wednesday that he has held some “very, very productive meetings” on quantum technology and photonics as well as aerospace and defence technology.
“We’re looking for business-to-business collaboration so that we can produce better products and expand economic opportunities for both India and the United States,” Gianforte told IANS in an exclusive interview.
“Some of the most exciting areas for us on this trip are the work being done here in India and in Montana in quantum technology and photonics. We’re having university-to-university discussions and private-sector-to-private-sector discussions.”
Gianforte said that there is innovation in India around quantum technology and photonics, which are areas of focus back in Montana.
“We’re looking for university-to-university collaboration on research. We have institutions in Montana that spend hundreds of millions of dollars on research in these areas that are of interest to both India and the United States,” he added.
“But there are also opportunities on the private sector side. India uses a lot of Boeing aircraft, and we manufacture parts for these aircraft in Montana,” he pointed out.
“So, collaboration is a great opportunity. Precision agriculture is another area where technology is helping our farmers become more productive. We also have the dean of our School of Agriculture with us on this trip, and I think we’re going to uncover some great opportunities for collaboration,” Gianforte said.
“Let me talk specifically about what we’re trying to accomplish on this trade mission. Again, we have 36 individuals with us. We’re looking at areas of common interest, including aerospace, defence technology, precision agriculture and bioscience.”
He said that US Ambassador Sergio Gor had assured him that India and the US were very close to signing a bilateral trade deal.
“India values its farmers very highly, as it should. We value our farmers in the United States very highly as well. We’ve seen great fluctuations in the purchasing of pulse crops in India. We want to have long-term relationships. Particularly in Montana, relationships are important. So, getting this trade deal done, with reciprocal and fair trade, is really essential for us to continue to expand and deepen the relationship between our two countries,” Gianforte said.
He further stated that it’s important that the India-US trade deal gets done, as Indian businesses and American businesses need certainty. Without certainty, it becomes more difficult to build deep economic ties between the two countries, he noted.
“We need a reciprocal relationship that gives businesses confidence that we can do business with each other and that both sides are taken care of,” he added.
–IANS
sps/vd