Porbandar, June 13 (IANS) A 100-hectare ‘Furniture Park’ proposed for Porbandar, along with plans for a shipbuilding cluster, was placed at the centre of a high-level industry summit on Saturday, as government representatives and industry leaders discussed developing the coastal city into a port-linked manufacturing and export hub under India’s broader industrial expansion strategy.

The ‘Developed Porbandar Furniture Park Summit’, chaired by Union Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, brought together senior state and central officials, representatives of industrial bodies and more than 50 entrepreneurs from the furniture sector to assess investment prospects and infrastructure planning for the proposed project.

According to officials, a site near Porbandar has been identified for the Furniture Park, with around 100 hectares of land earmarked and acquisition proceedings underway.

A proposal for a complementary shipbuilding cluster near Kuchhdi has also been advanced, and industrial participants are scheduled to visit the proposed locations, including Bharvada and Kuchhdi, on June 14 for on-site evaluation.

Mandaviya said the initiative was aligned with India’s port-led industrialisation framework and the wider objective of strengthening manufacturing capacity and exports.

“India was emerging as a rapidly growing economy with increasing purchasing power and described the country’s trajectory as being guided by a stable policy environment aimed at achieving developed nation status by 2047,” he said.

He also referred to ongoing Free Trade Agreements with countries including the United Kingdom, the European Union, Canada and Australia, which he said were expanding international market access.

“Porbandar’s coastal location, availability of land and emerging industrial ecosystem made it suitable for large-scale investment,” he noted.

He added that the proposed Furniture Park would be developed as an integrated facility in which design, skill development centres and related infrastructure would operate under a single framework, aimed at supporting production and value addition within one coordinated system.

He assured participants that government departments would provide facilitation at all stages of implementation and that investor suggestions would be taken into account in final planning.

The Union Minister also said that both the central government and the state government were working jointly on the project and that administrative clearances would be expedited.

He noted that Gujarat was preparing new industrial and data centre policies, while a shipbuilding policy had already been approved.

“The state was positioning itself for growth in advanced sectors including semiconductors and space technology, alongside traditional industries such as textiles and pharmaceuticals,” he said.

Forest, Environment and Science & Technology Minister Arjun Modhwadia said the Furniture Park concept reflected long-term planning linked to Porbandar’s historical role in maritime trade.

“The region had been connected to overseas trade routes since the 16th century and cited the presence of established shipbuilding traditions and fishing activity, including around 4,500 operational fishing boats in the area,” he said.

He added that earlier vessels of smaller capacity had evolved into larger-scale shipbuilding capabilities over time.

He also highlighted the region’s tourism and ecological significance, noting its proximity to Dwarka and Somnath, which collectively attract more than one crore visitors annually.

He referred to nearby natural assets such as the Barda Hills, home to Asiatic lions, and the Mokar Sagar bird sanctuary as part of the area’s broader geographical profile.

Modhwadia said Porbandar offered cost advantages compared with industrial corridors such as Vapi–Ahmedabad in terms of land prices, while also benefiting from renewable energy availability through wind and solar resources.

He added that “the region had connectivity through five national highways, broad-gauge rail infrastructure and a port with a 9-metre draft, which could support expanded shipping, shipbuilding and repair activities”.

He further stated that upgrades were underway at Porbandar airport, including the extension of the runway from 1,300 metres to 3,000 metres, with plans to introduce daily flights to Ahmedabad and Mumbai from June 25.

Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Gujarat Maritime Board, Dr Ajay Kumar, provided technical details of the proposed shipbuilding cluster at Kuchhdi, while Industries Commissioner P. Swaroop outlined the rationale for selecting Porbandar as the site for the Furniture Park, citing logistical connectivity, coastal access and availability of land as key factors.

British Deputy High Commissioner Steve Hickling said the proposal to develop Porbandar as a furniture manufacturing hub was a significant step and expressed interest in the sector’s export potential.

“Gujarat plays a major role in India’s economy, contributing more than 30 per cent of national exports, and noted that India’s industrial growth offered opportunities for greater trade engagement with the United Kingdom,” he said.

Officials also referred to Gujarat’s long-term maritime development plan under the Gujarat Maritime Board, which aims to significantly increase the state’s port cargo handling capacity from 600 million metric tonnes to 3,000 million metric tonnes by 2047.

The Furniture Park and shipbuilding cluster in Porbandar are part of this broader strategy to expand port-linked industrial infrastructure.

–IANS

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