NEW DELHI (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is on weeklong trade mission in India that he hopes will boost opportunities for Minnesota businesses, his office said in a statement Monday.
India is ''an important and largely untapped market. We hope this mission will open more doors for Minnesota businesses,'' Pawlenty said in the statement after meeting business leaders in the capital, New Delhi.
The Republican governor, who arrived in India on Saturday after a stop in Shanghai, China, was also scheduled to visits Bangalore and Mumbai — India's software and financial hubs — before he leaves Oct. 27.
Pawlenty was leading a 73-member delegation, the first such mission from Minnesota, the statement said. The delegation includes representatives of IBM, Best Buy and CH Robinson and 3M.
Minnesota is a major exporter of computer and electronics products and medical devices. India is Minnesota's 22nd largest trade partner, but exports from Minnesota to India grew 270 percent between 1998 and 2006, the statement said.
The state exported $129.5 million in manufactured goods to India in 2006.
