Surat, May 1 : Foreign delegates at the two-day Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference (VGRC) - South Gujarat in Surat, which commenced on Friday, highlighted growing international interest in the state's industrial ecosystem.

Representatives from Russia and Japan pointed to growing opportunities in sectors such as semiconductors and renewable energy.

Aleksandr Fursov, Deputy Consul General of Russia in Mumbai, said the conference reflects the depth of economic ties between the two countries.

â??Russia and India have a long-standing tradition of bilateral economic cooperation. We always view conferences like Vibrant Gujarat as a great opportunity for business people to meet each other, get to know each other better, and learn about the opportunities each country has and is ready to offer to its partners,â?? he told IANS.

A delegate from Japan, Onio, underlined Gujaratâ??s growing role in emerging industries.

â??Today I joined this conference as a speaker in the Japan session to introduce our organisation. From my understanding, the semiconductor industry is a very important and rapidly growing sector here in Gujarat. Also, Gujarat is known as the state with the highest solar panel installations in India,â?? he said.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel inaugurated VGRC in Surat.

The two-day event, being held on May 1 and 2 at Auro University, is part of the state governmentâ??s effort to extend the Vibrant Gujarat model to regional hubs and promote localised investment opportunities.

The conference is being held alongside the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Exhibition (VGRE), bringing together industries, MSMEs, startups and government bodies from districts across South Gujarat, including Surat, Bharuch, Navsari, Valsad, Tapi and Dang.

It features seminars, sector-focused discussions, business-to-business and business-to-government meetings, as well as a reverse buyer-seller meet aimed at facilitating partnerships.

Industry representatives also pointed to the evolution of the Vibrant Gujarat initiative over the years.

Dinesh Navadiya, Chairman of the Indian Diamond Institute, told IANS: â??Especially when it comes to the concept of Vibrant Gujarat, the credit for introducing it in India goes to our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. That is when Vibrant Gujarat was started. Since then, every Chief Minister of Gujarat has carried forward the Vibrant Gujarat programme. But this time, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has given it a new direction.â??

Rohit Mehta, former president of the Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI), said the initiative continues to create new avenues for industry.

â??Vibrant Gujarat is extremely, extremely important. At the Chamber of Commerce, we have been associated with Vibrant Gujarat from the very beginning, and we have continuously supported the government. New opportunities keep emerging all the time. At present, Surat has the highest concentration of solar panel manufacturing. There are many companies here, and now these companies are also focusing more on cell manufacturing. So, in the field of solar and renewable energy, there are tremendous opportunities,â?? he said.

Speaking to IANS, Chairman and MD KP Group Faruk Patel said, "Back in 2012 and 2013, during PM Modiâ??s tenure, we signed an MoU worth Rs 768 crore, and later we expanded it nearly 10 times. So, no one can have greater confidence than us about the fact that this South Gujarat Regional Conference, being organised under Vibrant Gujarat, is going to benefit many industries."

The South Gujarat conference is one in a series of regional events organised between editions of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, aimed at sustaining investment momentum and strengthening Gujaratâ??s position as a preferred destination for domestic and international business collaboration.

/IANS