MSME conference
Source: The Sangai Express / DIPR

Imphal, November 04 2022: Textiles, Commerce & Industry Minister Nemcha Kipgen graced the inaugural session of the International MSME Conference in NER-2022 held at Hotel Classic Grande as chief guest.

The programme was organized by Federation of Industry & Commerce of North Eastern Region (FINER) with the support of MSME Development Institute Imphal, Government of India and Department of Commerce and Industries, Government of Manipur.

While addressing the gathering, Nemcha Kipgen said that such a conference gives an opportunity for the State to showcase its distinct industries, and cultural heritage in the forms of handloom & textiles, handicrafts and unique food products.

The local entrepreneurs of Manipur will get the opportunity to adopt the best practices from other parts of the world and adapt it to the materials and resources available here, she asserted.

The Minister further highlighted the example of the State's richness in terms of bio resources by citing that there are 55 species of bamboo that grow in Manipur which can be utilized in various forms such as food, textile, composites and handicrafts.

She continued that Manipur is also rich in its biodiversity, producing many aromatic and medicinal plants, all of which are organic and can serve as a new destination for pharmaceutical industries.

Manipur is fortunate to be the gateway to ASEAN and with the improvement in infrastructure will serve as an important import- export hub for the North East region, she added.

The Minister called for the need to realize that food processing, handloom & handicrafts is an industry which the State and NER as a whole can heavily rely on to boost its economy.

Development of these industries means generation of jobs and better livelihood for the people of the region, Nemcha said.

The basic objective of this conference is to provide opportunities to MSMEs in Manipur to update themselves to meet the challenges emerging from changes in technology, changes in demand, and emergence of new markets, FINER president Bajrang Lohia mentioned.

He stated that technology infusion and/or upgradation of Indian micro, small and medium enterprises are the need of the hour.

During the technical session, a presentation on various topics namely Current Industrial Scenario of Manipur, AgriTech, MSME of NER, Bamboo Technology and Opportunities of Bhutan with NER was delivered by L Ibetombi Devi, Manager, NSIC, Government of India; Yasuo Taniguchi, CEO of Long Term Industrial Development Co.

Ltd.

(Japan); CS Sudha Sarma, partner, Mamta Binani & Associates, Assam; Marie Wakino, Administration & Marketing Officer - Long Term Industrial Development Co.Ltd.

(Japan); Ru Yi Ong, advisor � Taiwan Technical Textile Association (Taiwan) and Pema Choki, Chairperson, Bumthang.

Luckyson Kashung, Additional Secretary of Department of Trade, Commerce & Industries and Joel Haokip, MD, MFICL also graced the inaugural session.

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