The NSW Government has wrapped up its first trade mission to India, opening new opportunities for NSW businesses, investment and jobs in one of the fastest-growing major economies in the world.
Premier Chris Minns and Treasurer Daniel Mookhey spent four days in New Delhi and Mumbai meeting senior government and business leaders across critical minerals, technology, tourism, education, infrastructure, advanced manufacturing and creative industries.
India was chosen for the Premier’s first overseas visit in recognition of the growing importance of the relationship between NSW and India. Two-way merchandise trade between NSW and India is already worth almost $7 billion a year, but the clear message from the mission was that both sides believe the relationship can go much further.
“The clear message we’ve heard this week is that we’re just at the beginning of what this relationship can become,” Premier Chris Minns said. He said NSW already does almost $7 billion in two-way trade with India, but there is “much more we can do in critical minerals, technology, education and tourism.”
According to the NSW Government, the mission delivered and progressed a number of opportunities for NSW, including the refreshing of the NSW sister-state agreement with Maharashtra. Both governments have committed to developing a joint action plan within 90 days to grow trade and investment.
A new partnership between NSW-owned traffic technology SCATS and HCLTech will explore how artificial intelligence can help expand the use of NSW traffic technology in India. Meanwhile, Mid North Coast boat builder Steber International has partnered with Mumbai-based West Coast Marine to bring electric boat technology to India.
The Premier and Treasurer also met major Indian companies including Tata, Mahindra and JSW to discuss opportunities to invest and expand in NSW. NSW critical minerals were put directly in front of Indian government and industry representatives as India looks to secure the minerals needed to grow its manufacturing sector.
The mission also focused on strengthening tourism and aviation links, with the NSW Government pushing for more direct flights between India and Sydney and holding discussions with Air India. Tourism operators also shared their views on opportunities to make it easier for more people to visit Australia.
Education and research were another focus, including Western Sydney University’s new Greater Noida campus and growing collaboration between NSW universities and Indian institutions. The mission also opened the door to more Indian film production in NSW, including the announcement that Heyy Babyy 2 will be filmed in the state.
The Premier and Treasurer met senior Indian government leaders including Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, as well as business leaders across New Delhi and Mumbai.
Alongside the business program, they visited religious and community institutions, met Mumbai’s famous dabbawalas and spent time with people from India’s food, film and cultural industries.
Premier Minns highlighted the strength of those community links, pointing to the more than 200,000 Indian-born people who call NSW home and “understand both countries”.
“Our job now is to turn the conversations we’ve had this week into more investment, jobs and opportunities back home,” he said. “We leave India with a much better understanding of the opportunities in front of us, some strong new relationships and plenty of work to do.”
Treasurer Daniel Mookhey said the mission showed that “India is ambitious, NSW is ambitious, and there is a genuine appetite to do more together.”
“We’ve met businesses with the scale, technology and capital to invest in NSW, and we’ve seen first-hand the opportunities for NSW businesses in India,” Mr Mookhey said.
He said the relationship was “bigger than business”, with links between people, universities and communities giving NSW a head start that many other places do not have.
“For a state of eight and a half million people, the opportunity to sell our goods, services and expertise into a market of 1.4 billion people is enormous,” he said.
The mission concluded with a NSW-India investment forum in Mumbai, bringing together major Indian and Australian businesses to discuss where they could do more together.
“This trip has opened doors,” Mr Mookhey said. “The work now is to keep those doors open and turn that interest into real economic opportunities for NSW.”
The mission also opened new opportunities across critical minerals and the creative industries, with the Premier and Treasurer meeting senior executives from Coal India, NMDC, NTPC Mining and Hindustan Copper Limited to discuss potential Indian investment in NSW’s critical minerals sector and opportunities for NSW to supply the minerals needed by India’s growing manufacturing economy.
On the cultural front, the internationally known Jaipur Literature Festival will come to Parramatta, with the festival set to be hosted at Powerhouse Parramatta in August 2027, bringing writers and cultural figures from India, Australia and around the world to Western Sydney.
The delegation also paid tribute to the victims 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in 2008.
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