The fourth and the last B20 Conference in the North East was held in Kohima, Nagaland today focusing on Agriculture, Food Processing, Tourism and Information Technology. The event was graced by Shri Neiphiu Rio, Chief Minister of Nagaland, Shri J Alam, Chief Secretary, Nagaland, Dr Raj Kumar Ranjan Singh, Hon’ble Minister of State for External Affairs, Government of India, Ms Rupa Dutta, Senior Adviser, DPIIT, Government of India and Mr Mhathung Yanthan, Hon’ble Advisor of Agriculture, Government of Nagaland.

 

Delegation from 27 countries with 60 overseas participants converged in Kohima in Nagaland for the Conference which also included more than 100 Indian delegations.   The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in collaboration with the Government of Nagaland and Ministry of External Affairs and DPIIT are partners in this initiative.                                                                                            

In his address, Chief Minister of Nagaland pitched for investments in organic farming mentioning that the favourable climate of Nagaland is conducive for agricultural produce. He added the yield here is organic due to use of natural pesticides, further adding that the State offers excellent opportunity in increasing the yield in future. Nagaland also enjoys favourable man-land ratio with low population density compared to other parts of the country.  The “Land of Festivals”, as Nagaland is famously known, offers “out of box” tourism experiences through its rich cultural display during the Hornbill Festival and the undulating landscape offers scope for trekking and other adventure sports.  The State has skilled manpower who have ventured into Startups. The infrastructure of the State is also undergoing a rapid change with railway connectivity upto Kohima.  Nagaland also offers great investment opportunity in handloom and handicrafts products to the world. He added that the B20 is the perfect platform for accelerating the investments in the State to drive growth and he exhumed confidence that this initiate will surely build up global partnerships with Nagaland.

 

In his keynote address, Dr Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, Minister of State, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India stated that the unique location of Nagaland and its legendary hospitality makes it special and core to Central the Asian Highway will be a game changer for the North East as it will bring the North East closer to the South East economies. The logistics infrastructure has undergone a rapid change with PMDeVINE scheme. The flights have increased from 900 in 2014 to 1900 presently, the length of the highway doubled, the waterways connect improving, the railways are reaching the State capitals in the region. The Indo-Bangladesh railway link is also near completion which is also likely to open up a vista of opportunity for the Region. Since youth form the backbone of the North East, nurturing their skills and supporting them in their endeavours will reap rich benefits to the Region in general and the State in particular.

Shri J Alam, Chief Secretary of Nagaland in his brief speech spoke about the rich resources like agriculture in the State. He further elaborated that there are hidden minerals and hydro-carbon in the State which is yet to be explored. The State has a unique land holding pattern where the community owns land. Tourism especially festivals are a huge attractions which draws global attention to Nagaland and can be further promoted to the global audience.

Ms Rupa Dutta, Senior Adviser, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Government of India emphasized there is an ample opportunity for agro based products in Nagaland specially mentioning about the GI tagged Naga King Chilli, Tree Tomato and the Sweet Cucumber. She mentioned about the Mission Organic farming scheme of her Ministry and mentioned that the State like Nagaland can take advantage of the scheme in promoting its organic produces. She mentioned that gifting ODOP products during the G20 Summits has been very popular and Nagaland has 11 districts under ODOP offering huge opportunity to scale up the quality and quantity and make them a exportable.

Mr Mhathung Yanthan, Hon’ble Advisor of Agriculture, Government of Nagaland proposed the vote of thanks.

Earlier in his welcome address, Mr Pradeep Bagla, Co-Chairman, CII North East Council congratulated the Government of Nagaland for wholehearted support for organising the B20 programme in Nagaland. He mentioned that CII is committed to the North East and shall be glad to engage with the State and the Central Ministries to push forward the economic growth with sustainable livelihood creation in the Region. He added the state is targeting 13,000 hectares to be brought under organic cultivation to convert the State from “Organic by default” to “organic by design” for specific crops with high market value. Nagaland is also a much sought after tourist destination especially during the World famous Hornbill Festival reflecting its rich ethnic tribal culture through its folk dances, music, handicrafts and food.  CII would be keen to associate with you on bringing out sector specific  policies to attract investments to the State.

 

The inaugural was proceeded by a plenary session on exploring the opportunities for Multilateral Business Partnerships in Agriculture, Food Processing, Tourism and Information Technology. The International delegation will be taken to the Kisama Heritage Village to witness the specially curated mini Hornbill Festival and to the Kohima War Cemetery to showcase the rich cultural heritage of the State.

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(Release ID: 1913812)