Guwahati: Environment and Forest Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary has formally inaugurated the International Winter Expo on December 23. The International Winter Expo will be held from 23rd December 2022 to 5th January 2023 at the Maniram Dewan Trade Centre, Guwahati. The minister was accompanied by Assistant High Commissioner Bangladesh Ruhul Amin.

The expo has been organised by the Assam Trade Promotion Organisation (ATPO) in collaboration with the National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) and Assam industries, commerce and public enterprise department.

Important dignitaries including Assam Trade Promotion Organization (ATPO) Chairman Sunil Deka, Secretary of Industry, Commerce and Public Enterprise Dr. Laxmanan, ASIDC Chairman Kishore Upaddhaya, ATPO Vice Chairman Madhu Deka, AIDC Vice Chariman Nabadip Kalita, and National Small Industries Co-operation (NSIC) Zonal General Manager Vijay Prakash were present.

Speaking at the occasion, Chandra Mohan Patowary stated that as the MSME sector develops in the northeastern region, these kind of expos would serve as a commercial link between MSMEs and the area.

He stated that the government had already inked an MoU with Flipkart and would shortly sign one with Amazon. According to the Memorandum of Understanding, the government has asked Flipkart to purchase regional goods from neighbourhood weavers. This has helped the growth of MSMEs in this area.

There is a reserve of 92,000 crores rupees in the state's industries department that may be used for development and investment projects.

This would be a customer-friendly exhibition, Chandra Mohan Patowary told Business-Northeast.
Patowary stated that PepsiCo would soon begin its industry in the Nalbari region of Assam, which will be directly connected to New York through foreign direct investment. With both direct and indirect deployment, this will create jobs in the region.

He also emphasised on the safety concerns in self-help groups and women's empowerment (SHGs). He also urged the government to reinstate a few NSIC rules that have in the past helped company owners in a variety of ways.
However, India is working to deepen its connections with Bangladesh through fostering successful commercial relationships between the two countries and their surrounding regions. Bhutan and Bangladesh are the neigbouring nations.  Moreover, such schemes may encourage increased communication between South East Asian nations and BBN (Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal). The ATPO Chairman claims that due to the inability of many traders to show their goods, the COVID epidemic had a negative impact on their business. Trade expos have been restarted this year in an effort to revive the traders' lost market.

According to reports, the expo featured representatives from the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering and Technology (CIPET), Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project (APART), CFC (Common facility Centre, Assamese jewellery), NEDfi (North Eastern Development Finance Corporation), and around 150 MSME units and 11 start-ups.

He recalls a recent exhibition of this type that took place in Nalbari. There were 50 industrial participants, and they received more than Rs 1 crore in revenue. All traders were exhorted by the ATPO Chairman to take advantage of the numerous industrial programmes for their own gain.

The fair has also included attendees from Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Afghanistan.

Such trade expos, in Ruhul Amin's opinion, will be advantageous for both Bangladesh and Assam.

The five fundamental prerequisites for industrialisation, according to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, are roads, aeroplanes, rivers, trains, and digital services in Assam.

From four-lane highways, new ports, electric trains, a new airport terminal at Rs. 1243 crores, expansion and extension of airports to other places in Assam, such as a greenfield airport in Silchar at Rs. 3000 crores, till extra flights and improvement of digital services in the rural regions as well.

The expo will undoubtedly expose those working in the MSME sector.

 Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma hopes to see the state among the top five states of the country.
 

According to Patowary, only private organisations have been able to set up shop up to this point. However, ATPO and NSIC have worked together to organise this industrial show for the first time.

According to Bangladesh's Assistant High Commissioner Ruhul Amin, these types of activities strengthen bilateral relations.

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