Guwahati, Dec 20: The Assam Trade Promotion Organisation (ATPO) is organising an international winter exposition at the Maniram Dewan Trade Centre here from December 23 to January 5, 2023.
The “ATPO International Winter Expo 2022” will be organised in association with National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) and Assam industries, commerce and public enterprise department.
Around 150 MSME units, 11 start-ups, besides representatives from the Assam Agribusiness and Rural Transformation Project (APART), CFC (Common facility Centre, Assamese jewellery), NEDfi (North Eastern Development Finance Corporation), Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering and Technology (CIPET) are participating in the expo.
International representatives from Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan are also taking part in the expo.
Notably, the Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh and Royal Bhutanese Consulate General have also given their consent to participate in the expo as there is huge scope for trade with the neighbouring countries.
“The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on trade and commerce, along with the exhibition industry, has been unprecedented. Many private parties have cancelled their regular fairs and some are still reluctant to organise fairs resulting in lack of trade opportunities for the local MSME units, business and entrepreneurial enterprises,” Assam commerce and industries minister Bimal Borah said while addressing mediapersons on Tuesday.
“Therefore, in an effort to minimise such adversities faced by businesses in Assam, the state industries department has now decided to organise a trade fair to showcase the products and services offered by the entrepreneurs of the state,” Borah said.
To familiarise different participants and visitors (both local and international) about local food habits of different tribes, few stalls on ethnic food will also be accommodated.
The cultural evening by different artists of the state will also be a major attraction of the expo.
ATPO will organise trade fairs and expositions on different occasions for the benefit of the local MSME units. Accordingly, it has proposed to organise two trade fairs in the financial year 2022-23.
It may be mentioned that ATPO has already organised “ATPO Nalbari Trade Expo2022” from November 8 to 19, 2022, where 50 MSME units, from different districts of the Assam and having different product profiles such as handloom, handicraft, food items, Ayurvedic products, were allotted stalls free of cost for display and sale of their products.
ATPO is also planning to organise three fairs in the financial year 2023-24.
One fair will be regional to accommodate participants from the Northeastern region, one international fair to tap the export opportunities while another fair will be organised exclusively for entrepreneurs from Assam.
“In sync with the ‘Act East Policy’ of the Centre, the Assam government has adopted several measures to woo investments, reduce compliance requirements, and amend archaic laws aimed at the holistic economic development of the state,” the industry minister said.