Lokesh pushes green mobility, agri-tech ties with European firms

Amaravati: Ministerfor IT and HRD Nara Lokesh has intensified the State’s outreach for attracting global investment by holding strategic meetings in Davos and Zurich to seal partnerships with green mobility, clean energy, and agri-food technology firms. In Davos, Lokesh met Jose Mellado, managing director of Spain-based Evolution Synergetique Automotive SL (EVO), and proposed collaboration in green hydrogen and zero-emission vehicle technologies.

He said Andhra Pradesh aims to achieve its green energy goals by offering a supportive ecosystem that includes port-led infrastructure, industrial parks, and engineering sandboxes. Lokesh invited EVO to develop pilot hydrogen-powered terminal tractors at the Visakhapatnam and Kakinada ports, citing the company’s experience in compact vehicles and advanced mobility systems. He also suggested a co-pilot programme for electric and hydrogen-powered off-road vehicles within industrial parks, with EVO leading redesign and optimisation efforts.

The Minister assured full government support, including test beds, regulatory approvals, assistance in prototype development, and training for engineers. Andhra Pradesh is willing to set up a small engineering sandbox within an industrial or academic campus to encourage early-stage innovation, he added.

In Zurich, Lokesh met Deepak Mane, advisor to the executive board and chairman of Buhler India, part of the Switzerland-headquartered Buhler Group, and urged him to establish a Foods and Grain Technology Application Center in Andhra Pradesh and to support agri-export clusters through pilot trials and product localisation. He also sought Buhler’s support in converting its millet processing technologies into commercial-scale demonstration in the State.

The Minister further proposed expanding Buhler’s Make-in-India optical and colour sorter manufacturing through local assembly, testing, and component localisation. He also called for a Food Processing Skill Development Center in Andhra Pradesh.

Responding to the proposals, Deepak Mane said Buhler’s India headquarters in Bengaluru serves as a major manufacturing and engineering hub for south Asia, while its Kakinada branch already functions as a regional sales and lifecycle service centre across Andhra Pradesh. He said the company would study the proposals put forward by the State government.

Earlier, addressing the European Telugu Diaspora, Lokesh said Andhra Pradesh has emerged as India’s leading investment destination. He claimed that investments worth Rs 23.5 lakh crore are expected over the next 18 months, with the potential to generate more than 16 lakh jobs. Around 25.3 per cent of investments coming into India, he said, have gone to Andhra Pradesh, crediting Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu’s leadership for the surge.