The PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) successfully organized the Indo–Central America Trade & Investment Conclave recently at PHD House, New Delhi, bringing together senior government officials, diplomats, industry leaders, and key stakeholders from India and Central America. The conclave served as a focused platform to deepen economic engagement and explore new avenues for trade, investment, technology collaboration, and people-to-people linkages between the two regions.
Addressing the conclave, Dr. Neena Malhotra, Secretary (South), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, appreciated PHDCCI’s efforts in organizing the conclave and shared insights on India’s diplomatic and economic engagement with Central America. She emphasized the importance of strengthening institutional and commercial linkages to further enhance cooperation between the two regions.
The diplomatic community from Central America underscored their countries’ strong economic potential and openness to Indian investment.
H.E. Mr. Juan Carlos Marsan Aguilera, Ambassador of Cuba to India, highlighted Cuba’s investor-friendly environment, extensive trade agreements, and opportunities for Indian industry particularly in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors.
H.E. Mr. Francisco Manuel Compres Hernandez, Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to India, shared insights on the Dominican Republic’s rapidly growing economy and highlighted opportunities in tourism, renewable energy, and pharmaceutical sectors.
H.E. Mr. Guillermo Rubio Funes, Ambassador of El Salvador to India, highlighted avenues for strengthening trade cooperation, particularly in energy, pharmaceuticals, and technology sectors.
H.E. Mr. Omar Lisandro Castaneda Solares, Ambassador of the Republic of Guatemala to India, highlighted Guatemala’s diversified economy and investment opportunities in trade, pharmaceuticals, and agribusiness.
H.E. Mr. Jason Keats Hall, High Commissioner of Jamaica in India, presented Jamaica’s trade and investment landscape, emphasizing opportunities in technology—especially the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), renewable energy, and pharmaceuticals, and reaffirmed Jamaica’s interest in deepening engagement with India.
H.E. Mr. Alonso Correa Miguel, Ambassador of Panama to India, highlighted Panama’s investment-friendly environment and opportunities in pharmaceuticals, infrastructure, maritime services, and technology.
Ms. Claudia Keller Lapayre, Chargé d’Affaires of Mexico to India, noted that historically trade between India and Mexico was dominated by oil; however, the relationship is diversifying and strengthening cooperation particularly in the automotive and pharmaceutical sectors.
Ms. Sunaina P.R. Mohan, Chargé d’Affaires of Suriname to India, highlighted Suriname’s interest in diversifying its economy through exports in energy and mining, agribusiness, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, IT, and infrastructure. She also expressed Suriname’s keen interest in collaborating with India in offshore petrochemical exploration.
Welcoming the participants, Mr. Nishant Berlia, Chair, International Affairs Committee for Americas, PHDCCI, underscored the growing potential of India–Central America cooperation and encouraged industry members to actively explore new markets and collaborations.
Dr. Ranjeet Mehta, CEO & Secretary General, PHDCCI, in his introductory remarks highlighted PHDCCI’s continued efforts in strengthening India’s trade and investment engagement with Central America and emphasized the importance of building long-term, mutually beneficial economic partnerships.
The session was moderated by Mr. Naveen Seth, Deputy Secretary General, PHDCCI, who expressed sincere gratitude to all speakers and participants.
The conclave reaffirmed that India and Central America are natural partners with strong economic complementarities. PHDCCI reiterated its commitment to actively support trade missions, investments, and industry collaborations to translate diplomatic goodwill into tangible and mutually beneficial outcomes for businesses on both sides.
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