He said that at the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference in this country Nov 26-29, more than 1,000 businessmen are expected to discuss multilateral trading agreements, of which Indian businessmen would be a part.

'We will continue to work with the Bank of Baroda. We will give it our support as it has demonstrated a spirit of innovation.'

Indian High Commissioner Malay Mishra said that Bank of Baroda had created history by opening two branches in one country in the same day. He urged the bank to extend its operations to other sectors of the economy.

Mishra said that Bank of Baroda continued to show its marketing skills to the people of Trinidad and Tobago, adding that less than two years after opening its first branch in Port-of-Spain, it has demonstrated 'confidence in the local economy' by opening two more.

MP for Chaguanas West Jack Warner saw great opportunities for the branch in the area, which had a primarily agriculture-based economy. Warner said the bank's marketing initiatives must focus on the farmers and the small businessmen, giving them priority loans at affordable rates.

This country's Indian diaspora came from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar between 1845 and 1917 to work on the sugar plantations and to boost agriculture. Around 44 percent of the 1.3 million people in Trinidad and Tobago are of Indian descent.