Nagaland’s Chief Secretary J Alam addresses the inaugural function of B20 Conference . (Morung Photo)
Our Correspondent
Kohima | April 5
Nagaland’s Chief Secretary J Alam today said that G20 Business Summit is an opportunity for Nagaland to show to the world the vast potential the state have in the agriculture and food processing, tourism and infrastructure sector.
“We hope that the outcomes will foster a stronger people to people global relations, and strengthen local to global economy by connecting Made in Nagaland goods and services into the international market and Global Value Chain,” Alam said at the inaugural function of B20 conference on opportunities for Multilateral Business Partnerships in Agriculture, Food Processing, Tourism and Information Technology in Kohima.
Welcoming the G20 countries to partner with Nagaland in the journey of development and growth, he said “I am sure this strong business delegation representing global industry leaders and policy planners of the G20 countries and their associates will give a serious thought to exploring mutually beneficial partnerships in diverse sectors which will go a long way in strengthening our bonds of cooperation and friendship in the months and years to come.”
He hoped that the discussions made today at the B20 Conference in Nagaland will herald the theme of India’s G20 presidency ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’.
‘State has a very business friendly government set up’
Alam said that Nagaland being a small state has a very business friendly government set up where investors have easy access to top echelons of the government and administration that helps in quick resolution of the issues that investors might face.
“No amount of ease of doing business can replace the comfort and reassurance that such easy access provides. For the record however, we have a single window clearance system available through the national portal and it is being further enriched. Our ingrained cultural ethos also ensures that contracts and agreements are honored and enforced in letter and in spirit,” he said.
Apart from the indigenous tribal communities, Nagaland also has a fair presence of almost all socio-religious communities from across the country which have been coexisting harmoniously for many many years.
“We are an open society which welcomes everyone without any discrimination. To accelerate the pace of development in key sectors, we are trying to tap funding sources beyond the state and the Central Government and National Financial Institutions. Several externally aided projects and many CSR projects are currently under implementation in the state with encouraging results,” the chief secretary said.
Nagaland is richly endowed with mineral resources
Alam said that Nagaland is richly endowed with mineral resources with hydrocarbon, coal and limestone and various other mineral deposits.
“Most of these resources remain untapped due to insufficient investment in mining and related infrastructure,” he said.
We are predominantly an agrarian State with to third of our population being dependent on agri related activities. The food grains production has increased substantially over the last few decades and it stood at more than 700,000 metric tonnes in 2022-2023, he said.
Stating that Nagaland is home to hundreds of varieties of rice and various other millets and cereals, he said “We are focusing on leveraging our agricultural crops into opportunities for the food processing sector. The cereals, fruits and vegetables and other cash crops like tea and coffee have a distinct taste and flavor due to natural farming practices.”
He said that the young population of Nagaland is well educated and skilled, adding “ Our education system provides good scope for people to have soft skills.”
In the age of industry 4.0, our endeavor is to provide the necessary opportunities for our young people to flourish to their full potential, he said.
In a small way, several startups are taking advantage of the new opportunities thrown up by the digital economy and are moving ahead.
Further, to provide access to markets, we have over the years developed various indigenous brands such as Naga Organic, Nagaland Coffee, Naturally Nagaland, Mongken and Myki etc. with strong connection to the grassroots and targeted at taking our local products beyond the state borders while generating income and livelihood for our people, he said.
He said that the physical infrastructure of Nagaland is getting rapidly upgraded “while we are building better roads to connect all parts of the State.”
The state capital of Kohima is being connected with a new railway line which will connect the state with the rest of the country.
A new network of small air strips and heliports is also being developed in various important towns. We have also invested in promoting tourism through our rich cultural diversity and tribal festivals and various other attractions, he said.
