India and Belgium – a member of the European Union – have determined to deepen their collaboration in defence, infrastructure and clear power defence, commerce minister Piyush Goyal mentioned on Sunday, simply days after his assembly with an EU delegation led by its commerce chief Maros Sefcovic. The assembly occurred just a few days earlier than the tenth India-EU free commerce negotiations in Brussels from March 10-14.
Union minister Piyush Goyal with Princess Astrid of Belgium. (Photograph from X)
Princess Astrid of Belgium is main an financial mission to India from March 1-8, 2025 and the workforce will probably be travelling to New Delhi and Mumbai “to strengthen Belgium’s image as an attractive partner and gateway to the European market”, in keeping with an official communication.
Belgium is likely one of the six founding states of the European Union and hosts the EU and NATO.
“Princess Astrid is leading a Belgian economic mission to India, the world’s fifth largest economy, until 8 March. This mission will strengthen partnerships between Belgium and India in several key sectors,” the Belgian Royal Palace mentioned.
“We discussed collaboration opportunities in key areas including trade, infrastructure, clean energy & defence to further deepen the India-Belgium bilateral partnership. Also, reaffirmed our commitment to fostering a transparent & investor-friendly environment for the shared growth and prosperity of both nations,” Goyal mentioned. Princess Astrid can also be anticipated to fulfill Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union defence minister Rajnath Singh and minister of exterior affairs S Jaishankar throughout her week-long go to.
Other than Delhi and Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh can also be one of many centered funding locations for the visiting delegation. The princess visited the Agristo manufacturing unit in Bijnor, an Indo-Belgian enterprise that’s been producing potato derivatives since 2023. “The plant supports local farmers with modern farming techniques and processes around 25,000 tonnes of potatoes a year,” the Belgian Royal Palace mentioned in a put up on X.
The delegation additionally oversaw a ₹750 crore-expansion plan of Agristo Masa Pvt Ltd – an equal three way partnership between Agristo NV of Belgium and Masa World Meals of India. The JV has already seen investments value ₹300 crore for the provision of value-added potato merchandise to home and export markets.
“The Princess visits the Agristo factory in Bijnor, which has been producing potato derivatives since 2023. The plant supports local farmers with modern farming techniques and processes around 25,000 tonnes of potatoes a year,” Belgian Royal Palace mentioned. The plant exports merchandise to North America, Center East, Southeast Asia and Japan.
As per authorities knowledge, Belgium’s cumulative overseas direct funding (FDI) inflows to India from April 2000 to March 2024 totalled at $2.89 billion. “Belgium is an important ally not only because of economic reasons but also strategically. It supports India’s aspiration for permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC),” mentioned an Indian authorities official who didn’t want to be named.
In keeping with the official, Belgium was among the many first European nations to determine diplomatic relations with impartial India in September 1947. Apart from, it’s a key supply of overseas direct investments. Round 160 Belgian firms are current in India and several other Indian firms, akin to TCS, Infosys, Tech Mahindra and HCL have established bases within the European nation.