'Nagaland can trade with neighbouring countries'

[caption id="attachment_152087" align="alignnone" width="550"] Panellists and moderator at the business summit of Nagaland international trade expo (NITex) on Nov. 28[/caption] Eastern Mirror Desk Dimapur, Nov. 28: The panel discussion on the prospect of trade with neighbouring countries at the business summit in the ongoing Nagaland International Trade expo (NITex) on Tuesday ended on the note that it is possible and viable for Nagaland and the people of the state to trade with the neighbouring countries and it need to be encouraged. To this effect the general understanding of all the panellist at the discussion was that the stakeholder states of the region need to work more closely, collaborate and leverage on each other's best practices. The discussion of the session was focussed on trade with the neighbouring countries that are part of the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal (BBIN) sub region quadrangle on the backdrop that the Northeast borders 98% of India’s international boundaries and given its strategic location, the region is said to develop as a base of one of India’s growing economic links not only with the ASEAN countries but also with these countries . Panellist for the session Bhanu Pratap Singh, CEO, North East Foundation (NEF) and OSD to the Government of Meghalaya said that though the opportunities were difficult in the state, it was not impossible to achieve them. He cited many opportunities Nagaland possesses in terms of trade such as the proximity it has to Myanmar and Bangladesh. Commodities like Naga king chilly, khollar, large cardamom, pineapple, ginger, passion fruit and wild apple are all available easily can be exported. Exporting these items will create a big market with premium prices apart from the absence of the middlemen thus creating more opportunities. Kesang Wangdi, Deputy Secretary General, Bhutan chamber of Commerce and Industry spoke on the business prospect of Nagaland for import and export with Bhutan keeping in mind the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) objective is to promote economy entrepreneurship in the region. He also provided an insight on the handholding that his government provides in Bhutan to entrepreneurs and business houses. In the region the main markets being India, Bangladesh, and Nepal and Wangdi stated that there are huge opportunities for business in Bhutan. Citing the a stable government and the free hand to the entrepreneur to do business, Bhutan can be a good prospect for import and export in the sub region, Wangdi said. RC Aggarwal, the president of the North East Federation on International Trade who is also a an executive member of the Indo-Myanmar chamber of commerce and industries with extensive experience in the region highlighted some problem areas which can be addressed collectively. He stated that the states in Northeast can come together and collectively apprise the government on policy matters so ease the process of trading from the region. The other panellists, Rajeev Goswami, Deputy director General, FINER and Jesmina Zeliang, Founder- Naga Heirloom and Convener, NER, Export Promotion Council for handicrafts stressed on the challenges that hampers trade in the Northeast region such as air and road connectivity, infrastructure like roads, electricity, storage facilities, lack of packaging units, lack of testing labs, lack of information and lack of trade advisory bodies. The volatile political situations like bandhs and economic blockades were all cited to be hindrances in trade. Goswami also suggested that Nagaland should preserve its flora and fauna by focussing on smaller industries and not large scaled ones. The BBIN markets should be the focus of the young entrepreneurs in the region, he iterated. Moderator of the session, Wapong Longkumer, Executive Editor, Eastern Mirror on his end note urged the young entrepreneurs to look out and take risks instead of jus focussing on the very limited domestic market. “Everybody starts something new and since there are no consumers from outside, it becomes stagnant and not sustainable, ”he said. He reminded about the initiatives from the Govt. of India that were taking place ; such as the Kolkata to Tripura roadway of just 500 km via Bangladesh compared to nearly 2000 kms at present and also the current railway line extension being undertaken in Tripura that once completed will be just 5 hours away from the Chittagong port. “It might take some time but during this time the young entrepreneurs can position themselves well and be prepared” concluded the moderator.