NEW DELHI, INDIA – USTDA Director Leocadia I. Zak this week has joined Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke on the India High Technology trade mission. Also participating in the mission are twenty-four U.S. businesses based in 13 states across the country, with over half being small- and medium-sized companies. The Mission seeks to identify additional ways to increase bilateral cooperation and U.S. exports to India.

During this visit, Director Zak is highlighting USTDA's catalytic role in opening export opportunities for U.S. businesses in the energy, civil aviation, and information and communications technology sectors. India is an important market for U.S. exports and a focus of the President's National Export Initiative (NEI), which seeks to double exports by 2015. This trade mission builds on the success of President Obama's visit to India in November 2010, which resulted in trade transactions worth more than $9.5 billion in U.S. content. As part of the Export Promotion Cabinet, USTDA joins the mission to support U.S. company efforts to expand their goods and services exports to India and to coordinate its trade promotion efforts with partners in the U.S. government.

On Monday, Director Zak announced two programs designed to support India's continued economic development, which also hold the potential for significant U.S. exports. Under the successful U.S.--India Aviation Cooperation Program, USTDA will sponsor technical cooperation working with the Airports Authority of India and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to install and certify a pilot Ground Based Augmentation System (GBAS) system using satellite navigation technologies at Chennai International Airport. The objective of the GBAS is to achieve increased safety and capacity as part of India's air traffic management modernization programs. U.S. commercial opportunities could reach over $50 million in U.S. exports as India deploys GBAS.

USTDA also announced its support for a feasibility study to deploy an integrated emergency communications system (IECS). Working with India's Ministry of Home Affairs, USTDA's support will develop a plan for the establishment of an IECS and the required support infrastructure for the city of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh India. U.S. commercial opportunities could include exports of over $500 million in U.S. goods and services.

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The U.S. Trade and Development Agency helps companies create U.S. jobs through the export of U.S. goods and services for priority development projects in emerging economies. USTDA links U.S. businesses to export opportunities by funding project planning activities, pilot projects, and reverse trade missions while creating sustainable infrastructure and economic growth in partner countries.

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