Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy on Monday invited Chinese businesses to invest in the state, especially in the food-processing sector and also sought Chinese cloud-seeding technology to ease water scarcity.
During his meeting with Chinese Agriculture Minister, Du Qinglin in Beijing on the second day of his six-day maiden visit to China, Reddy said that Andhra Pradesh produces some of the finest varieties of mangoes, grapes, guavas, sapotas, papayas and bananas. This would offer good opportunities for Chinese businesses.
Du welcomed Reddy's suggestion to send a team of Chinese food processing businesses to Andhra Pradesh and said that his ministry would work with the Indian Embassy here to decide on the modalities, official sources said.
Reddy also sought Chinese cloud-seeding technology since the country had advanced technology.
The Chief Minister said his government, which is giving high priority to agriculture and rural development, would welcome Chinese assistance in capacity building and technology cooperation in this sector.
During the one-hour meeting, which took place in a cordial atmosphere, both sides also identified agriculture, rural development, food processing, irrigation as areas which promised mutually beneficial cooperation, official sources said.
