Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley will lead a delegation of elected officials and business leaders on an economic-development trip to India in late November.
Mr. O’Malley, a Democrat, and the others will visit Mumbai, New Delhi and Hyderabad over six days to meet with potential investors, trade partners and government officials.
The governor said Friday the trip will help public and private leaders in Maryland strengthen ties in India — a country whose economy is “undergoing a rapid transformation.”
“With their industries modernizing and a young and career-oriented middle class, it is an ideal time to promote Maryland as a U.S. headquarters for Indian companies,” Mr. O’Malley said in a statement.
State economic leaders hope the trip will reap benefits similar to those of a 68-person trip to Asia this spring. The governor was part of a 10-day trip to China, South Korea and Vietnam, which he said secured more than $85 million in foreign investments.
Mr. O’Malley first announced in August that he was planning to visit India by year’s end. He said Friday the trip will focus largely on strengthening existing ties with India in the biotech and cyber-security industries.
During the trip, the governor is expected to deliver the keynote address at the Convention of Pharmaceutical Ingredients in India. During the Asia trip, he gave keynote speeches at bio-pharmaceutical conferences in China and South Korea.
Maryland businesses exported $233 million in goods and services to India last year, making it the state’s 12th-largest export market. India was also the state’s 13th-largest import market.
There are currently four major Indian companies with facilities in Maryland, including a pair of pharmaceutical companies, according to state officials. Officials estimate that 105,000 Maryland residents, or 3.5 percent of the state’s workforce, work for the more than 300 foreign-owned companies that operate in the state and represent 30 different countries.
“Now is the time to aggressively target foreign, direct investment from India and other fast-developing economies like China and Korea,” said Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett.
Mr. Leggett, a Democrat, is expected to join the mission along with Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III, a Democrat.
State officials have not decided how many other officials and business leaders will attend, and did not immediately provide a cost estimate for the trip.
This spring’s 10-day visit to Asia cost the state $144,000, according to state officials, with the state paying the expenses of only five officials, including Mr. O’Malley. The five officials’ costs were paid by the state Department of Business and Economic Development, while other attendees paid their own way.
• David Hill can be reached at dhill@washingtontimes.com.
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