SHILLONG: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Wednesday attended the inaugural ceremony of the 5th Act East Business Show organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce in association with the Ministry of DoNER North Eastern Council and the Department of Commerce and Industries, Government of Meghalaya.
Speaking on the occasion Sangma stressed on the need to establish collaborative trade links with South East Asian countries in order to utilize the potential of the state and other North Eastern (NE) regions.
Sangma also stated that economic activities should be encouraged with balance to the ecology and the overall impact on the environment.
“We need the economy to grow but it should never be at the cost of the environment, we cannot stop all the effects but we can minimise the effect to a large extent by taking simple steps and framing effective policies,” Sangma added.
The Chief Minister said that bamboo based industries would provide opportunities for economic growth and emphasized on the need to make collaborative efforts with countries such as Taiwan which are market leaders in bamboo based industries.
Sangma also stated the need to have mutually beneficial tie ups with neighbouring countries in order to boost the food processing sector.
Speaking of the Jackfruit mission that was launched a few weeks back in the state Sangma said that there is a huge demand for this fruit in countries like Vietnam.
“Our State can play a big role to meet the shortfall of supply in these countries which is a huge economic opportunity for us”, said Sangma.
In his conclusion, Sangma addressed the Indian Chamber of Commerce and encouraged them to hold business meets in different NE states in order to boost trade and commerce in the region.
