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DIMAPUR — After a six-year hiatus since the Business Association of Nagas (BAN) organised the first Nagaland International Trade Expo (NITex) in 2017, the second edition of the exhibition will kick off on Thursday at Senden Riju in Purana Bazaar, Dimapur. The trade expo will continue until January 22.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, BAN president L Mongkum Jamir stated that it took six years for the association to organise the 2nd edition due to the COVID.
He said that the BAN is working towards rebuilding and holding the expo annually with the help of the ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME).
“The core aspect of the 2nd NITex is to create and promote entrepreneurs, particularly in identifying their value addition. At the same time, it is also important that we assist the government in seeing to it that the government identifies and starts working on implementing and creating the right infrastructure for entrepreneurs,” Jamir said.
He stated that there are many infrastructures in Nagaland that have yet to be built, and that in order to use them and build the society, the government must step in.
Jamir maintained that BAN is creating a platform for entrepreneurs for networking and collaboration, while also confirming that this international trade expo will create market linkages and enable market research and exposure.
“The government and private sector connection is very important in the context of Nagaland,” he asserted, adding that the two are interdependent.
“How well we gel in order to provide effective economic growth in the state is going to be very important for us,” he added.
About 140 stalls with three international exhibitors from countries like Japan, Germany, and Bangladesh will be available during the five-day expo, he informed, adding that they are expecting footfalls of about 2000-3000 every day.
BAN vice president, Dr. Yan Murry informed that besides local exhibitors, there will be international exhibitors and exhibitors from government departments. This expo, he said, was an opportunity for the private sector as well as the government to converge and maximize the potential of the state.
Director of Industries and Commerce, A Temjen Jamir, highlighted the recently inaugurated PM Vishwakarma scheme, which envisages providing end-to-end holistic support to traditional artisans and craftspeople in scaling up their conventional products and services.
He stated that the scheme covers 13 districts in Nagaland, but the newer districts are not yet covered due to the lack of establishments. Out of 3152 applications received under the scheme, 981 are from Mon district alone, he updated.
When an artisan registers, he or she receives benefits, including a certificate and ID card, short term training, tools worth INR 15,000, as well as an e-voucher and loans.
During the press conference, Zubeno Mozhui, Convener of the Tourism Standing Committee, emphasised the importance of tourism as a multimillion-dollar industry, saying that the event will include comprehensive discussions on various aspects of tourism.
Convener of the Import/Export Logistics Standing Committee, Inoto Kinimi said that entrepreneurs face a lot of challenges as Nagaland is a landlocked state,
“We will try to explore different opportunities during the discussion and get input from various departments like the inland waterways, aviation industry, industries and commerce, and railways. As an entrepreneur, there are many challenges when dealing with logistics, and through the session, we want the entrepreneurs to understand how to maximize using all these agencies,” he said.
Vijay Prakash, NSIC's Zonal General Manager, announced the opening of a Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) branch office in Dimapur to handle all NSIC schemes, with a contact point office overseen by the main office.
The NETex is supported by the National SC-ST Hub, the NSIC, and the Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME), GoI, and Government of Nagaland, and aims to provide local entrepreneurs a platform to highlight and promote products and services.
To be opened by Union Minister for MSME Narayan Rane, the five-day expo will witness a live skill display of chainsaw woodcarving, painting, fiber-reinforced polymer composites (FRPs) art, and loin loom weaving.
There will be panel discussions on developing sustainable tourism in Nagaland, the future of start-ups and entrepreneurship, and leveraging Nagaland’s potential by boosting logistics.