Morocco is working on opening a consulate in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: Morocco’s Ambassador to India, Mohamed Maliki on Friday said his country is working on opening a consulate in Bengaluru, as part of a plan to increase its presence in India.

A high-level trade delegation from the Kingdom of Morocco, led by Maliki, is on a six-day visit to India, beginning with Bengaluru, to increase bilateral trade between two countries, through ‘Morocco Now’ – the national brand that promotes investments and exports, a release said.

In Bengaluru, the delegation will engage in a series of meetings with the Government of Karnataka officials, industrialists, and other professionals, it said, adding that ‘Morocco Now’ roadshows will also be held in Mumbai and New Delhi with a series of similar meetings in these cities as well.

”We have a national plan to increase our presence in India. We currently have consulates in Mumbai and Kolkata and are working on opening one in Bengaluru. Our aim is to grow together and have India as one of our top 10 partners by 2025. We have outsourced visa services whereby potential investors can apply in cities wherever they are and multiple visas for a period of one year will be processed within 3 to 5 days,” Maliki said.

‘Morocco Now’ is expected to boost bilateral trade between Morocco and India, which is currently around USD 2.1 billion, he said, adding that while India’s exports to Morocco currently straddle different industries such as automotive, textiles, pharmaceutical, petroleum products, and chemical products, imports from Morocco are largely dominated by phosphate and potash.

According to the release, at least 35 Indian companies have already set up shop in Morocco, including Varroc Lighting Systems, Steel Strip Wheels, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), Tata Hispano Motors Carrocera, Indian Motors, and Sun Pharmaceuticals Morocco.

India is the fourth largest trading partner of Morocco and the 13th largest supplier to the country in the first half of 2021, it said.