A PARTY of Bolton businessmen and women are just two weeks away from a special mission to forge new trading links with India.

Despite the economic doom and gloom, a number of representatives from clothing and embroidery companies, electronics firms, design companies and even a restaurant will be looking to establish new economic ties with Indian businesses when they fly out to Mumbai.

The Bolton delegation will form the largest group of a North West trade mission to India, which will assess trade opportunities associated with the expanding Asia-Pacific region.

The mission has been organised by UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) along with Bolton Council, which, under its Business Bolton employment support arm, will lead the Greater Manchester delegates.

At a pre-trip briefing at HSBC in Manchester, Bolton Council’s director of development and regeneration, Keith Davies, said: “We are pleased with the response from businesses in Bolton and this trade visit will be an extremely good opportunity to forge strong links with India.

“Greater Manchester is the largest commercial centre outside of London for international investors and Manchester is also a base for India’s largest banks, such as ICICI and the State Bank of India.

“Bolton has the largest Indian population in Greater Manchester and is home to a dynamic and strong business community of Indian origin.”

The businessmen and women heard the UKTI has business advisers in several Indian cities who have been working hard to organise appropriate visits and business contacts.

UKTI business adviser Barbara Singleton said: “India is a great country to do business with. Because of the cultural and language links, Indians will often prefer to deal with British companies over European rivals.”

One Bolton businesswoman who is looking forward to the trip is Samantha Prendergast who, with her husband, Neil, runs Bolton-based company Hydrocharger Ltd.

The couple have invented and patented a fuel-saving device which they say can save at least 25 per cent on fuel bills.

Mrs Prendergast said: “We will be looking at the possibility of having the machine made in India and also looking at how we can sell it into the Indian market.”

India is the world’s seventh largest country and an emerging economic superpower. But when it comes to business, India remains unchartered territory for many companies in Bolton, even though it is the second largest export market in the developing world.

Hopefully this will change when the week-long trade mission departs for Mumbai, formerly Bombay, on February 14.

The trip will also include visits to New Delhi and Gujerat.

While there, the delegates will be meeting a number of local and regional leading businessmen and the group will also be guests at a formal networking event at the UK High Commission in Mumbai.