Guwahati: Assam will focus on five Is to boost exports and take a leap from local to global along the economic growth trajectory.
The five are infrastructure support, institutional support, improved policy framework and regulations, information dissemination and incentives.
This is the first time an export policy has been chalked by the state industries and commerce department and the draft will be discussed at a stakeholders' meeting here on Tuesday.
Official sources said this was done after Union commerce secretary Rita Teotia, who had visited Assam in June, asked the state to frame a strong and holistic state export policy with focus on agri-based products and service sectors like tourism, education, nursing and paramedical science.
The idea is to expand the economic growth of Assam and unveil it as the regional economic leader by virtue of its strategic location as the centre of the Southeast Asian countries.
Teotia said Assam's export items mainly comprise tea followed by oil and petroleum products and cement clinkers with the top destinations being the UK, the US, Germany, Egypt, Russia among others.
The mission of the policy is to increase the state's share in all-India exports from less than 1 per cent (2015-16) to 5 per cent in medium term (2023-24), and to 10 per cent in long run (2029-30), by enabling investment and infrastructure in export-oriented sectors and enhancing the ease of doing exports, leading to higher productivity, higher income and greater employment generation in the state.
On tea, the draft policy says the state shall make efforts towards diversifying markets for exports to emerging major tea importing countries like Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, United Arab Emirates, Canada and France among others.
It shall explore tea tourism as a channel for exports with a view to open the tea estates as a live marketing platform by creating experiences for the tourists. "This will not only generate income but also awareness among tourists, foreign and domestic investors, potentially leading to increase in exports," it says.
A tea park is being set up by the Assam Industrial Corporation Ltd in Kamrup district which will provide facilities for blending, storage and trans-shipment of Assam tea for the world market.
A State Export Promotion Council will be formed for effective coordination of export efforts and related issues and an export promotion portal shall be developed where various export-related information and links will be provided.
Source: telegraphindia.com