Indian Market - Introduction
India is the world’s 6th largest economy and consumer market according to the World Bank. Switzerland ranks on position 19. In 10 years India will rank among the top 5 consumer markets. It already has surpassed China as the fastest growing economy. The country is characterized by a motivated young population and a burgeoning middle class.
Because of its large population of 1.3 billion people and its expansionary economic policy India has great potential in terms of environmental protection and waste management. Scarce water resources, rapid industrialization, extensive farming and enormous amounts of waste confront the country with great challenges. As an effective management in the areas of water, sewage, refuse and recycling is missing, there is a strong need of information and investments.
Switzerland is one of the most important trading partners for India, even before Germany, France or Canada. In 2018, Switzerland ranked 5th, behind Saudi Arabia, UAE, USA and China, with around 20 billion USD being spend by India for Swiss products and services. Traditionally, Switzerland has a good image in India. Swiss companies and their products enjoy a high reputation with regard to quality, precision and reliability. Especially, in the fields of mechanical engineering, industrial equipment and precision instruments Switzerland’s foreign trade with India is increasing.
Namami Gange Programme
One of the major environmental projects in India is the Namami Gange Project (Clean Ganga). In 2011 the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) society was founded.
Namami Gange is an integrated conservation mission, approved as "flagship programme" by the Union Government in June 2014 with budget outlay of Rs. 28'000 Crore (4 billion USD) to accomplish the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution, conservation and rejuvenation of National River Ganga.
This governmental approach involves several smaller sub projects with the overriding goal of clearing the river from pollution at various locations along the river.
All EPC contractors of this mission only get paid approx. 40% of the investment planned for them right after the contract has been signed. 60% of the total budget will be paid over a period of 15 years, as long as the EPCs meet the key performance indicators. For Swiss companies, these are important starting points, because the EPCs are dependent on the supply of individual components and equipment by local partners and in particular, on the quality of the products. In this way, Swiss companies can benefit from the large investment budget of this major national project through a cooperation with local Indian partners.
MISSP - Swiss SME program
The Embassy of India in Switzerland, concurrently accredited to the Holy See & The Principality of Liechtenstein, has launched the “Momentum in India: Swiss SMEs Program (MISSP)” to provide the required facilitation services for Swiss SMEs. The program answers the need for an organized platform dedicated to helping companies establish successful business models across the value chain in India. The program will be implemented with the support of not only the Central and concerned State governments, but also by a host of key Indian and Swiss industry partners who will support the Swiss SMEs to have a smooth experience in various aspects of business in India.
MISSP is an integrated platform for market entry services. Market entry could be in varying forms: using India as a sourcing hub, for a technology partnership, as a manufacturing destination and export hub, as a skilling centre, etc. The program aims to promote Indo-Swiss business relations. The program will act as a one-stop source for companies requiring support services with the additional benefits of special workshops, networking, information exchange, etc. Services include market entry strategy consulting, M&A advice, operational support, tax & legal support, financial services, project financing, location services, technology collaboration, facilitation of approvals from Central & State agencies and access to Central and State government agencies. The program support will be for a selected 80 high potential SMEs with concrete plans to leverage India’s opportunities and promote business growth. The program shall also consider companies with mid-term plans to enter India. MISSP is implemented and monitored by the Indian Embassy in Berne.
Related links
NMCG:
https://nmcg.nic.in/NamamiGanga.aspx
https://nmcg.nic.in/cleangangafund/index.html
MISSP: http://missp.ch/bern.php?id=about
Swiss Federal Customs Administration:
2_4_LD_EXP-4.xlsx 34.76 kB
2_4_LD_Kum.xlsx 41.73 kB
Swissenviro: Seminars , Trade Fairs
Swissenviro's additional service
Providing a contact to professional, experienced Swiss-Indian consultants for Swiss SME interested in exporting to, outsourcing or opening branches in the Indian market. Please contact our experienced business matchmaker urs.heutschi@swissenviro.ch for more information in this regard.
