Despite the shutdowns and restrictions for normal operations due to the pandemic, information technology export from Kozhikode has witnessed a quantum jump when compared to previous years.
The government Cyberpark and UL Cyberpark, the two major IT parks spearheading the IT revolution in the Malabar region, have the lion’s share of the export growth, a press release said here.
Software exports from the companies of government Cyberpark have increased from ₹14.76 crore in 2019-20 to ₹26.16 crore in 2020-21. The park, which started with four companies in 2014-15, now has 64 IT and ITES companies and around 1,000 employees.
Export figures show that though the entire IT workforce has been working from home for more than a year, the operations and output of companies have not been significantly affected by COVID-induced restrictions. The rent waiver and other perks implemented by the government also helped IT firms cope with the situation.
“In addition to the export growth, about 30 new companies have started operations in the Government Cyberpark during the COVID period. Also, a 42,744 sq ft fully furnished office space with all facilities was opened. The strong revival of the market and the growth in the IT sector will also benefit Kozhikode-based companies. The majority of the IT firms from Kerala who participated in this year’s Gitex Global 2021, Dubai, and international tech fest were from Kozhikode. This has opened up great opportunities for Malabar-based companies,” said Vivek Nair, general manager, Government Cyberpark.
Software exports from Kozhikode are mainly to Gulf, European countries and US markets. Most of the major IT companies in Kozhikode have also offices in other countries.
UL Cyberpark, another major IT park based in Kozhikode under Uralungal Labour Contract Co-operative Society, has also achieved significant growth in exports. The gain for the financial year 2020-21 was ₹37.66 crore. Last year, it was ₹37 crore.
In the first half of the current fiscal alone, exports from the park touched ₹21.33 crore. It is expected to cross ₹40 crore by the end of the second half. UL Cyberpark has 84 companies and about 2,000 employees.
