Andhra Pradesh is fast becoming the key destination for global investors, said Nara Lokesh, Minister for Education, IT, and Electronics, during a Business Round Table meeting held at the Indian Consulate in Brisbane, Australia. The event was attended by India’s Consul General in Brisbane, Neeta M. Bhagotia, and representatives from the Australia–India Business Council (AIBC).
Addressing the gathering, Lokesh highlighted the growing trade partnership between India and Australia, emphasizing that Andhra Pradesh plays a significant role in strengthening this relationship. India’s major exports to Australia include refined petroleum, pharmaceuticals, engineering goods, electrical machinery, textiles, jewellery, and agricultural products — many of which originate from Andhra Pradesh.
He noted that the Australia–India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), implemented in December 2022, has become a game-changer in bilateral trade. India–Australia trade volumes, which stood at USD 12.2 billion in 2020–21, nearly doubled to USD 24.1 billion by 2024–25.
Lokesh praised Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s visionary leadership for transforming Andhra Pradesh into a business-friendly state through policies that enhance both the Ease of Doing Business and the Speed of Doing Business. In the past 16 months alone, the state has attracted investments worth over ₹10 lakh crore.
He mentioned two landmark projects that underline the state’s rapid progress — Google’s ₹1.33 lakh crore AI Hub coming up in Visakhapatnam, the largest-ever foreign direct investment in India, and ArcelorMittal’s ₹1.35 lakh crore steel plant planned near Anakapalli, which will be India’s biggest.
“With these massive developments, Andhra Pradesh is now the gateway for investments into India,” Lokesh said, inviting Australian investors to participate in the Partnership Summit 2025 scheduled in Visakhapatnam on February 14 and 15. The summit will showcase the state’s investor-friendly policies, industrial incentives, and robust infrastructure.
Lokesh urged Australian entrepreneurs to explore the vast potential Andhra Pradesh offers, calling it a land of opportunity where innovation meets growth.
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AP Emerges as India’s Gateway for Global Investments: Minister Lokesh in Brisbane
