Indo-Dutch business relations date back to more than 400 years. In 1604, the Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, the VOC) began trading in India, first establishing itself in Dutch Coromandel, notably Pulicat, looking for textiles to exchange with the spices they traded in the East Indies. Diplomatic relations between India and the Netherlands were established in 1947. While Dutch colonial rule in Bengal was relatively short-lived, their presence left a mark. Dutch architecture and cultural influences can still be found in places like Chinsurah. The historical trade connection between the Netherlands and Bengal highlights the global importance of Bengal's textile industry and the fierce competition for Asian trade routes in the colonial era.

The Netherlands is the fifth largest foreign investor in India during F.Y. 2022-2023 with FDI equity inflows of USD 2.498 billion (INR 19,855 crores). From April 2000 to June 2023, the Netherlands was the fourth largest investor into India comprising 7% of overall investment with cumulative FDI equity inflow of USD 45.288 billion (INR 296,000 crores).

The two countries enjoy strong economic ties with high bilateral trade and significant Dutch foreign direct investment (FDI) in India. They are working together to facilitate trade and investment through initiatives like the India-Netherlands Fast-Track Mechanism (FTM) established in September 2022. This mechanism aims to streamline the process for Dutch companies investing in India.

Attendees of the meeting:

• Mr. Gautam Ray, President, The Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry & President - Corporate, RPSG Group, CESC Limited
• Mr. Peter Knoope, Distinguished Fellow, The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT)
• Mr. Namit Shah, Honorary Consul of The Netherlands in Kolkata & Managing Director - F.Harley & Co Pvt Ltd
• Mr. Debashis Dutta, Chairperson, National Shipping and Logistics Committee, BCC&I & Director BGS GROUP (B G Somadder & Sons Private Limited)
• Mr. Jayanta Chakraborty, Chairperson, Agri-Horti-Food Processing-Rural Dev Committee & Consultant, Indofil
• Mr. Tridibesh Bandyopadhyay, Director & CEO, InQube, India and UK
• Mr. Avik Ghose, Research Head, Healthcare and Med-Tech, TCS
• Mr. Manohar Bethapudi, Founder, Uneverse Mobility Private Limited
• Mr. Ritvik Modi, Director, Allied Infrastructures & Projects Pvt Ltd
• Mr. Nikhil Jaiswal, General Manager- East (Green Base Industrial & Logistics Park), Nidar Group of Companies
• Mr. Shrey Tayal, Director, Riverine Group
• Mr. S. Hajara, Director, Apeejay Shipping Limited
• Mr. Adhip Nath Palchaudhuri, Director Service Business, Balmer Lawrie & Co. Ltd.
• Mr. Sagar Khastagir, Partner, Sure Data Keeping System
• Mr. Sidharth Udani, Regional Head, Balmer Lawrie & Co. Ltd
• Mr. Subhodip Ghosh, Director General, The Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry
• Ms. Sukanya Bose, Director, The Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry
• Mr. Sambit Dasgupta, Assistant Director, The Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Notes of the meeting:

• Mr. Gautam Ray, President, BCC&I formally welcomed Her Excellency, Ms. Marisa Gerards, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Netherlands to India and began the session with a round of introduction and interaction along with the members of The Chamber
• The Session had the presence of senior industry representatives from the Shipping and Logistics Sector, Agriculture, IT and Energy Sector, E-Mobility Sector
• The Director General of BCC&I, Mr. Subhodip Ghosh updated Her Excellency on the ongoing and a very significant project of BCC&I, on accumulation of Blue Carbon Credits that is taking place in Gangasagar, South 24 Paraganas, West Bengal. The Chamber also expressed its interests on working in the Plastic Credits area in future. 
• Several areas of trade co-operation between the two countries were identified at the onset of the interactive session, they are as follows:
  • Water and irrigation systems
  • Hydrogen
  • Energy
  • Health
  • Technology & Innovation
  • Sustainability

• Suggestion on developing collaboration opportunities for green port, skill development requirements related to logistics and shipping sector, cold chain/ storage technology in agricultural field, precision farming, and inland waterways opportunities, support in developing sodium ion cell manufacturing technology, came from the participating members of The Chamber.
• Her Excellency appreciated all the suggestions and put forward the existing collaboration opportunities in sectors like, Argiculture, Shipping & Logistics and Med-Tech. She also mentioned about the current collaboration with Government of West Bengal for a project aiming to protect water bodies and reduce pollution.