SMEs based in Mangalore might have more reasons to smile now that the Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) is visiting Delta city in British Colombia, Canada to boost business opportunities between the two regions.

Speaking to a Bizxchange correspondent, KCCI president GG Mohandas Prabhu said, “The meeting between KCCI and the Corporation of Delta will mainly focus on trade and commerce promotion between Mangalore and Delta city. KCCI will seek to promote the food-processing and IT industry and look for avenues for collaboration with their Canadian counterparts. SMEs in these two sectors could benefit from any positive outcome of this business meet.”

Notably, KCCI also plans to scout for investment possibilities in Delta city to give an impetus to Mangalore-based SMEs planning to foray into the said Canadian region.

“Mangalore is a hub for a lot of manufacturing-based industries such as engineering, food-processing and textiles. If the industry bodies represent our potential accurately, a lot of joint venture projects could be initiated in this sector, which would benefit SMEs,” said Surendra Shenoy, owner of Metal Mart, a small-sized unit in Mangalore which manufactures and supplies agricultural equipment and nails.

Incidentally, Mangalore recently emerged as the second-highest employment generating city among tier III cities in the country. With an adequate boost from industrial bodies, SMEs in the city could aspire to touch greater horizons.