Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi participated in a roundtable discussion with the Indian Business & Professional Group in Abu Dhabi as part of Odisha’s UAE investor outreach on Wednesday.

The discussion focused on strengthening cooperation and facilitating exchange of goods, exports and trade between Odisha and the UAE, said the state government.

Opportunities in turmeric, ginger, seafood, food processing and contract manufacturing for leading UAE brands were highlighted. The meeting also explored opportunities for deployment of highly skilled professionals from Odisha, it added.

Odisha-based companies Ruchi and Farrm B, B-one, with established UAE presence, participated in the meet. IBPG President Rajiv Shah also attended the interaction.

Earlier in the day, the Chief Minister kicked off Odisha’s investor outreach in UAE with a high-level meeting with senior representatives of the International Holding Company (IHC), a leading Abu Dhabi-based investment group with interests across strategic sectors.

The discussions focused on potential investments in metallurgy, rare earth and critical minerals, coal-to-chemicals, port-based SEZs and industrial infrastructure.

Adani Group and IHC Group have expressed interest in exploring 14 projects for which MoUs have been signed. The proposed projects involve aggregate investment of approximately Rs 2,10,500 crore.

The projects are estimated to generate approximately 0.19 million direct/on-site, 0.40 million indirect and 0.28 million construction employment opportunities — a total of approximately 0.87 million jobs.