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2026.03.24
アーメダバード（Ahmedabad）はグジャラート州最大の都市であり、ムンバイに次ぐ西インドの経済拠点です。メトロ圏GDPは約1,361億ドル（2023年、購買力平価ベース）で、グジャラート州GDPの最大の貢献都市です。グジャラート州はインドでも有数のFDI（外国直接投資）誘致州で、2019年10月〜2025年6月の累計FDI流入額は461.1億ドルに達しています。ただし州別の累計額ではマハーラーシュトラ州が1位、カルナータカ州が2位で、グジャラート州は3位です（DPIIT州別FDIエクイティ流入統計）。
Ahmedabad is one of the cities with the highest vegetarian ratio in India. In a city where Jains and Hindus make up the majority, a vegetarian tradition spanning centuries has been passed down, and the majority of restaurants in the city are vegetarian-only.
The opening of the world's first all-vegetarian Pizza Hut in Ahmedabad is an episode symbolizing the uniqueness of this market. While McDonald's operates fully vegetarian outlets in India only in pilgrimage sites such as Amritsar and Katra, the ratio of vegetarian products is also higher in Ahmedabad than in other cities.
Ahmedabad's vegetarian market holds the following potential for Japanese food companies.
The "Vibrant Gujarat" summit, hosted by the Gujarat state government, is one of India's largest investment promotion events, held once every two years. It attracts investment from countries around the world, including Japan, and facilitates business matching across a wide range of fields such as manufacturing, infrastructure, and technology.
For manufacturing companies considering entry into Ahmedabad, the surrounding industrial estates -- rather than the city itself -- become the central base. Located in western India, Gujarat is seeing a growing concentration of Japanese manufacturers as a location that can target both the domestic market and finished vehicle exports, backed by port access and well-developed highway and rail networks.
| Major Area | Location and Features | Trends Among Japanese Companies |
|---|---|---|
| Sanand-II Industrial Estate | About 40 km west of Ahmedabad, about a 1-hour drive | Nearly 20 Japanese companies, mainly automotive parts makers, have set up here, and the trend of new entries continues |
| Mandal-Becharaji Area | Northwest of the city center. Home to an industrial estate exclusively for Japanese companies | Japanese automotive industries centered on Suzuki and Honda are concentrated here |
| Dholera | A planned city designated as a "Special Investment Region" | Attracting growing attention from Japanese companies as a hub for new industries such as semiconductors |
スズキのグジャラート工場はマンダル・ベチャラジSIR内のハンサルプルにあり、港湾に近い立地を生かして輸出拠点の役割も担っています。2拠点目はコーラジ（Khoraj）で、2026年1月に州政府と₹35,000 crore（1 crore＝1,000万ルピー）規模の投資覚書を交換し、FY2029の生産開始を目指す段階です。製造で進出する外資にとって、用地・インフラ・サプライチェーンが整いつつある点がグジャラート州の強みです。
Infrastructure investment is accelerating in Ahmedabad.
At World Food India 2025, investment commitments to the food industry exceeded 1 trillion rupees (about $12 billion), reflecting rapid growth across India's food industry as a whole. Within this, Ahmedabad holds a unique position in "vegetarian food," with the following market opportunities.
A diverse range of Japanese companies, mainly automotive parts makers, have set up bases in Gujarat's industrial estates. The Mandal industrial estate, exclusive to Japanese companies, hosts ASTI, MUNJAL KIRIU, Murakami Kaimeido, ROKI, Sanko Gosei, Toyota Tsusho-affiliated TBIS, Topre, and TS Tech, forming an automotive parts supply chain. The Sanand-II industrial estate hosts Tata Motors, Nestlé, Coca-Cola, and semiconductor maker Micron, among others; on the Japanese side, Unicharm started operating a diaper factory there in 2018, followed by several suppliers. The privately run ESR industrial estate hosts companies including Yazaki India.
In recent years, this has expanded beyond automobiles. Suzuki has set up a lithium-ion battery joint venture with Toshiba and Denso in Gujarat, advancing local production of automotive batteries. In semiconductors, Tokyo Electron and Fujifilm have partnered with Tata Electronics to build a materials and equipment ecosystem, among other moves, increasing Japanese involvement in the concentration of next-generation industries. Because suppliers and peer companies are already clustered here, the strength of this region is that the barriers to entry are lowered in terms of parts procurement and talent acquisition.
One area gaining presence when considering entry into Ahmedabad is Dholera, designated as a Special Investment Region. Here, the Tata Group is building India's first commercial semiconductor fab, a major project with total investment reportedly exceeding 910 billion rupees. In the semiconductor sector, a framework exists in which the central government funds about 50% of project costs and the state government about 20%, with public-private efforts driving investment attraction. The partnerships of Tokyo Electron and Fujifilm with Tata are also moves linked to the formation of this semiconductor ecosystem.
As Dholera is a planned city being developed from scratch, its land and infrastructure are only now entering the stage of full-scale development. For suppliers of semiconductors, related materials, and equipment and parts, there is an opportunity to be involved from the early stages of the ecosystem, but decisions need to be made while carefully watching the progress and timing of development.
A major reason Gujarat is chosen as a manufacturing and export base is its proximity to ports. The state is home to Mundra Port (one of India's largest private ports, operated by the Adani Group), as well as Kandla Port and Dahej Port, allowing finished vehicles and products to be shipped overseas from the west coast. Functioning as an export base as well as a production base for the domestic market is a strength that sets it apart from inland Delhi NCR.
Transportation infrastructure development is also progressing. The Shinkansen-style Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (about 508 km), a Japan-India cooperation project, has completed land acquisition and is under construction with a target of test runs in 2027. Once complete, it will further strengthen ties with the commercial hub of Mumbai. On the financial side, GIFT City in Gandhinagar, near Ahmedabad, has been developed as India's first International Financial Services Centre (IFSC), with tax incentives driving the concentration of finance and fintech functions. The fact that manufacturing, logistics, and financial infrastructure are coming together is a tailwind for entry into Gujarat.
Note that Gujarat enforces prohibition statewide. Foreign expatriates can purchase alcohol if they obtain a permit, but there is a monthly unit cap that expires at the end of the fiscal year. The procedure is complicated, and high special fees and VAT are added on top of the base price, making it expensive. Understanding in advance that entertaining clients and company event customs differ from other cities will help avoid confusion.
In terms of food, given the strongly rooted vegetarian culture, access to Japanese food is not as abundant as in Delhi or Mumbai. There are restaurants serving Japanese food inside hotels near the industrial estates, and in the city, bento delivery services and sushi/sashimi restaurants inside hotels are available. Being inland, the climate brings severe summer heat, though some say there is less traffic congestion than in major cities, making it easier to get around. Since living infrastructure such as education, healthcare, and Japanese food is more limited compared to Delhi and Mumbai, it is reassuring to consider early whether to bring family and how to structure the expatriate assignment.
Gujarat has actively attracted domestic and international investment through its biennial major investment event, "Vibrant Gujarat." At the 2024 summit, numerous investment memorandums were signed, with semiconductors, e-mobility, green hydrogen, and renewable energy named as priority fields. The state government's clear stance on attracting investment, along with well-organized incentives and procedural support, is reassuring for companies considering entry.
Industrial depth is also increasing. Suzuki is gradually raising its four-wheeler production capacity in Gujarat and plans a major future increase in output, including at the new Sanand plant. In addition to the concentration of automobiles, the overlap of traditional industrial bases such as chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and textiles with new industries such as semiconductors and batteries is expanding the range of sourcing options for parts and services. The areas that entering companies can target are multi-layered, ranging from exporting finished vehicles and parts to supplying materials and equipment for new industries.
Ahmedabad is a growth city in western India, backed by a metro GDP of $136.1 billion and Gujarat's FDI of $46.1 billion. As symbolized by the world's first all-vegetarian Pizza Hut, the depth of vegetarian culture is this market's greatest characteristic, offering Japanese food companies a unique opportunity to develop a "vegetarian Japanese food" market. With the Shinkansen project and the development of GIFT City, its importance will likely continue to grow as a symbolic city of Japan-India cooperation.
It is the largest city in Gujarat, western India, and the center of the state's economy. Known as one of India's largest vegetarian cities, it combines manufacturing industries such as textiles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and automobiles with financial functions represented by GIFT City.
It suits manufacturing industries such as automobiles and auto parts, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and textiles. Being close to ports and easy to use as an export base for finished vehicles and products, it is a region well-suited for companies targeting both domestic sales and exports.
The surrounding industrial estates, rather than the city itself, are the main option. Candidates include the Sanand-II industrial estate, where Japanese auto parts makers cluster; the Mandal-Becharaji area, which has a district exclusively for Japanese companies; and the Dholera Special Investment Region.
Benefits include proximity to ports that favors exports, well-developed logistics infrastructure such as highways and railways, the state's active investment promotion measures such as Vibrant Gujarat, and the fact that a supply chain for the Japanese automotive industry has already been formed.
The concentration of sales, management, and IT talent is thinner compared to Mumbai or Bengaluru, making it less suited for functions other than manufacturing and exports. Local conditions such as Gujarat being a dry state and severe summer heat also need to be checked in advance.
Start by defining the function you will handle, such as manufacturing or exports, and checking the industrial estate and incentives suited to your industry. Next, arrange land, talent, and local partners, and design the overall supply chain with ports and logistics networks in mind to move forward smoothly.
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