Imphal: As part of the ongoing initiative to put the North-Eastern states on the export map of India, a two-day Conference cum International Buyer Seller Meet kicks off on Wednesday at the City Convention Centre in Imphal. 

A total of 48 exporters and 22 buyers from outside the country participated in the conference organized by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in association with the North Eastern Region Agricultural Marketing Corporation Limited (NERAMAC).

 Apart from the importers and exporters, progressive farmers and growers of the region took part and interacting with the exporters and exploring the prospects and requirements of buyer countries.

The conference aims to provide a platform for business to business (B2B) and business to government (B2G) meetings with international buyers with the exporters and progressive mission to explore the opportunities and prospects of export from North-Eastern region.

Delivering the inaugural address as chief guest, commerce secretary, the government of India, Anup Wadhawan stated that the region is extremely diverse and rich, having huge possibilities which can be capitalized to promote economic development. He said,” Export is an answer to many of the key issues, as it helps generate employment and growth and promote domestic products.”He also urged state officials and progressive farmers to take up the benefit of the Trade Infrastructure for Export Scheme (TIES), under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and stressed upon the need for an ‘Export Strategy’ of the state to look into the infrastructural and logistical issues while adding that the state government should work closely with various stakeholders to identify and fill the gaps.

Chairman, APEDA, Paban Kumar Borthakur said that APEDA has taken up many initiatives to promote and strengthen export of agricultural and processed products from the country and informed that the event has been organised in its endeavour to export agricultural products from the North-Eastern region.

Potential produces of North-East such as pineapple, black rice, dried chilies, organic products, vegetables, spices and tea were showcased by the exporters and progressive growers to the international delegates. 

In an interaction with a progressive grower, Wild Urban, Sanasam Birendra who is also promoted by ICAR NEH region, Imphal said that he started off under the slogan, ‘from waste to wealth’ to give a new status to medicinal and aromatic herbs. “Just two days is insufficient to introduce their products to the buyers from the international market”, he added.
Lamuakum Imchen from Nagaland informed that his state is still lagging behind in food processing industries and no such conferences have been organised in Nagaland till date. 

He also said that farmers in Nagaland have to depend on outsiders to come and buy from them.

The deliberation was also attended by principal secretary, horticulture and soil conservation, Manipur  JC Ramthanga, managing director, NERAMAC, Pankaj Prasad, joint secretary, department of commerce, Nidhimani Triparti, vice-chairman industrial, government of Mizoram, Ramluna, deputy chairman, tea board, Arjun Kumar Ray, secretary, spices board, D. Satyam and chairman, rubber board, K.N. Raghavan.