Bangalore-based Feedback Consulting Services and the New Delhi-based T&A
Trade Consultants will focus on new business opportunities for Northern Ireland firms and strengthen trade links between the Province and India.
Over the last decade Northern Ireland has established a healthy trading relationship with India with both Indian companies investing here and Northern Ireland companies winning lucrative contracts in India.
Exports by manufacturing firms in the Province to the sub-continent have jumped from £1m in 2002-2003 to £38m in 2006-2007.
Every year Invest NI organise two trade missions to India with visits to major cities such as Dehli, Bangalore, Chennai, Calcutta and Hyderabad.
Underlining the importance of the economic relationship between the two
regions, earlier this year former Economy Minister Nigel Dodds announced the opening of Invest NI's first trade and investment office in India during a trade mission to the country.
He said the new office - located within the British Deputy High Commission at Nariman Point in Mumbai - India's financial capital - highlighted the Northern Ireland Executive's commitment to establishing
closer links with India.
Barry Clarke, a senior Invest NI officer who has been involved in trade development and education contacts with India over the past decade heads the office.
"The office creates an identity for Northern Ireland. Being based at the
Deputy High Commission creates an awareness about where Northern Ireland
sits geographically and politically within the UK.
"It also raises Northern Ireland's profile and encourages not only trade links but partnerships with the universities.
"Everyone thinks of India as a low cost country but it is one of the fastest emerging nations in the world. Indian companies are now winning huge contracts in the UK and Europe to deliver IT and business services
for large conglomerates. Parts of those contracts are often expected to be delivered at a local level and that is where Northern Ireland offers a near shore proposition.''
There are now four major Indian companies with operations in Northern Ireland.HCL Technologies, headquartered in Delhi, offers high end contact centre services from its facility in Belfast where it employs
a workforce of 2000. Polaris, a software testing company based in Chennai employs 160 at its operation in Belfast, Tech Mahindra from Pune is a financial software developer which employs 200 people in Belfast and Firstsource of Mumbai currently has a workforce totalling 900 at its call centres in Belfast and Londonderry. Last month the
company, which first set up in Northern Ireland in 2006, announced plans to create an additional 800 jobs in the Province But as inward investment by Indian companies has flourished, so too has the level
of exports from Northern Ireland companies to India.
Experienced exporters to the market include Denman, the Bangor based hairbrush manufacturer and Terex Finlay in Omagh which has supplied a range of mobile crushing, screening and washing machinery to companies in India.
For Barry Clarke - the objective is simple: "For Indian companies there are investment opportunities in Northern Ireland and for Northern Ireland companies, India is an important source of business. There are lots of opportunities for everyone.''