‘Northeast Unaware of Lucrative Export Trade’: IIFT Proffesor Gautam Dutta

‘Northeast Unaware of Lucrative Export Trade’: IIFT Proffesor Gautam Dutta

Our Correspondent

Itanagar: The North Eastern region, despite huge scope for export as a very lucrative business, is still lagging far behind, said Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) Proffesor Gautam Dutta.

Addressing the maiden capacity building workshop on export awareness here on Tuesday, Prof Dutta while pointing out vast opportunities in India to export agri-horticulture products having high demands in many of the 220 countries, cited the example of kiwis, orange and garlic produced in large quantities in Arunachal.

He also gave the example of agarbati, having 3,400 markets in India worth Rs 2,500 to Rs 3000 crore business while China has been importing bamboo sticks at half the rate to India, he said the NE could excel in this area with huge bamboo growth.

Highlighting the nitty-gritty of export and import in details, he said every product should have a harmonized system code (HSC), accepted by all 220 nations, for identification for export or import while Delhi-based Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) issues export and import licenses for import export code (IEC), he said and assured all possible help in future.

Terming Northeast a basket full of agri-horticultural products, Federation of Indian of Export Organisation (FIEO) Guwahati-based NE chapter head Kaushik Dutta explained its roles, proposed incubation centre at its Guwahati centre to give handholding training for entrepreneurs, right from getting IEC to obtaining export order.

Present direct cargo flights from Guwahati to Singapore and Dubai and to Bangkok and Dhaka expected soon would serve as boon for exporters, he said, adding FIEO issues registration-cum-member certificate (RCMC) for all products even those not covered under any export promotion council besides certificate of origin, mandatory for export.

Delhi-based Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA)’s Guwahati office promotes processed food products, offers financial help for building infrastructures like packing house and export oriented unit with up to 40 per cent subsidy of project cost with Rs one crore limit and facilitate participation of exporters in global trade fairs, said its field officer Vishnu Saraswat.

Pointing out that though Arunachal boasts of many exportable products but outsides are doing business at the cost of locals, state trade & commerce secretary Onit Panyang said adding FIEO has submitted a draft for evolving export policy for the state but requested to conduct a handholding training of willing exporters in Itanagar.

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