CM Dr. Sarma launches Blue Valley Cluster, opening new chapter in Assam-Europe partnership
Assam emerges as a key gateway for India-Europe economic cooperation: CM
Blue Valley Cluster puts Assam at the heart of India-Europe collaboration: Dr. Sarma
Starting a new chapter of Assam-Europe partnership, Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma launched Blue Valley Cluster in collaboration with the European Union to strengthen collaboration in flavours, fragrance, AYUSH and food processing, thus creating a series of new opportunities for innovation, entrepreneurship, investment and sustainable growth at function held in Guwahati today.
As a part of the Blue Valley Cluster initiative, an MoU was also signed between Assam Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) and Federation of European Business in India (FEBI) as Managing Director AIDC Hivare Nisarg Gautam and Secretary General FEBI Sonia Prashar exchanged the MoU in presence of Chief Minister Dr. Sarma and the Ambassador of European Union Herve Delphin.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Dr. Sarma expressed hope that the initiative of launching Blue Valley Cluster will help in building robust ecosystem, and value chains connecting India and Europe. It will also help in fostering innovation, expanding market access and creating shared opportunities for growth. He also said that the Blue Valley Cluster initiative is a key outcome of the Advantage Assam 2.0 Investment and Infrastructure Summit as the initiative would help in linking Assam’s natural strengths with the global value chains, creating a new avenue for growth for the state which is very strongly emerging as the gateway connecting India with Southeast Asia. He also said that Blue Valley Cluster has the potential of putting Assam at the heart of India-Europe collaboration.
Chief Minister Dr. Sarma on the occasion also highlighted the growing India-European partnership and stated that India and European Union have established an ambitious roadmap for cooperation across diverse sectors. He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has emerged as one of the world’s leading growth engines and a trusted global partner. As India and Europe deepen cooperation in trade, technology and sustainable innovation, new opportunities are opening up for states and regions to become active participants in this shared journey.
He on the occasion said that Assam is proud to contribute to the growing India-EU partnership and serve as a bridge between European expertise and the opportunities emerging in India’s eastern growth corridor. He also said that the launch of Blue Valley Cluster, is therefore, much more than a new initiative. He observed that the initiative would be a tangible outcome of growing partnership and a demonstration of how strategic cooperation can create opportunities for businesses, entrepreneurs, researchers and communities.
Dr. Sarma said that the Blue Valley Cluster marks an important step in translating shared goals into action at the regional level. Focused on key sectors, the initiative will be a force-multiplier in harnessing Assam’s strengths in biodiversity, natural ingredients and wellness traditions while fostering research, innovation, investment and industrial collaboration between European and Indian enterprises, institutions and startups.
Presenting Assam before the representatives of the European Union, the Chief Minister said that Assam stands for policy certainty and genuine ease of doing business. The single-window clearance system has facilitated more than 2.5 million approvals, as the government has developed over one lakh acres of industrial land, established 65 industrial estates and created sector-specific industrial parks with plug-and-play infrastructure. He said that the core of the Blue Valley Cluster initiative is about ensuring that biodiversity generates prosperity, innovation creates livelihoods and sustainability becomes a source of competitive advantage.
Chief Minister Dr. Sarma said that Assam looks forward to leverage European cooperation in other emerging sectors such as semiconductors, electronics, manufacturing, AI, biotechnology etc to create high quality opportunities for the youth and cater to the growing domestic demand for these avenues. He on the occasion also acknowledged the efforts of the Ambassador European Union Herve Delphin and the entire EU team for their deep interests in developing close ties with Assam and materializing the Blue Valley Cluster initiative, which according to him will further strengthen Indo-EU ties.
Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to India Didier Vanderhasselt, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India Sibi George, Chief Secretary Dr. Ravi Kota, other senior government functionaries and representatives of European nations, institutions, and business organizations were present on the occasion.
Earlier, Chief Minister Dr. Sarma held a productive interaction with the Ambassador of the European Union to India Herve Delphin, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to India Didier Vanderhasselt and representatives of various European nations.
The discussions focused on strengthening bilateral ties and exploring Assam’s growing role as a strategic partner in deepening engagement between India and Europe. The meeting primarily exchanged views on expanding cooperation across trade and investment, innovation, education, culture, skill development, and sustainable development including tea and energy.
