Regional Economic Agglomeration and Openness: The Economic Development of the North Eastern Region (NER)
- Part 3 -

Dr. Bishwanjit Singh, Loitongbam *

Table 1: SITC Rev 3 Two-Digit Products Export Shares less than 2 Percent during Selected Years: 1990-2014

00    Live animals except fish    0    0.01    0    0.01    0.01    0
21    Hide/skin/fur, raw     0    0    0    0.01    0    0
25    Pulp and waste paper     0    0    0    0    0    0
41    Animal oil/fat     0    0    0    0.02    0.01    0.01
24    Cork and wood     0    0    0.01    0.01    0.01    0.02
56    Manufactured fertilizers     0    0.09    0.01    0.01    0.02    0.02
32    Coal/coke/briquettes     0.03    0.09    0.08    0.08    0.14    0.04
23    Crude/synthet/rec rubber     0.01    0.03    0.02    0.11    0.06    0.05
11    Beverages     0.04    0.04    0.04    0.04    0.06    0.07
43    Animal/veg oils procesd     0.04    0.13    0.08    0.06    0.06    0.07
34    Gas natural/manufactured     0    0.1    0.01    0.07    0.05    0.08
81    Building fixtures etc.    0.07    0.07    0.06    0.05    0.07    0.08
63    Cork/wood manufactures     0.08    0.11    0.07    0.09    0.06    0.09
09    Misc food products     0.08    0.13    0.14    0.08    0.09    0.12
02    Dairy products & eggs     0.01    0.04    0.08    0.22    0.09    0.14
88    Photographic equip./clocks    0.13    0.18    0.3    0.18    0.12    0.15
73    Metalworking machinery     0.33    0.19    0.22    0.33    0.17    0.16
75    Office/data proc. machines     0.62    0.71    0.5    0.43    0.28    0.17
74    Tea and mate     3.3    1.1    0.86    0.4    0.33    0.22
42    Fixed veg oils/fats     0.22    0.68    0.48    0.26    0.29    0.24
52    Inorganic chemicals     0.33    0.35    0.43    0.39    0.44    0.29
12    Tobacco/manufactures     0.81    0.42    0.42    0.3    0.4    0.3
82    Furniture/furnishings    0.01    0.04    0.11    0.27    0.27    0.32
64    Paper/paperboard/article     0.08    0.35    0.38    0.41    0.35    0.35
58    Plastics non-primry form     0.15    0.58    0.29    0.42    0.41    0.4
83    Travel goods/handbag/etc.    0.75    0.98    0.78    0.53    0.33    0.4
06    Sugar/sugar prep/honey     0.12    0.5    0.19    0.09    0.5    0.44
61    Leather manufactures     2.87    1.48    1.18    0.77    0.42    0.5
75    Spices     0.61    0.57    0.59    0.28    0.42    0.5

Source: UN COMTRADE

Table 2: Share of Seven Major Industries in terms of The Output Within each State of NER: 2011-12
(Arranged in Descending Order of Total Output)

State    NIC 2008    Description    Total Output (in Rs. Lakhs)    GVA
Assam            Actual    Percentage    Actual    Percentage
        Total     5,292,766      100.00      770,620      100.00
        Total of 7 Industries     4,766,656      90.06      650,690      84.44
    19    Coke and Refined Petroleum Products     2,782,299      52.57      188,546      24.47
    10    Food Products     1,009,797      19.08      181,853      23.60
    20    Chemicals and Chemical Products     315,072      5.95      110,354      14.32
    23    Other Non-metallic Mineral Products     227,439      4.30      56,679      7.35
    24    Basic Metals     164,608      3.11      17,540      2.28
    OT    Other Products     148,941      2.81      8,751      1.14
    18    Printing and Reproduction of Recorded Media     118,500      2.24      86,967      11.29
Manipur        Total     36,235      100.00      6,626      100.00
        Total of 5 Industries     36,235      100.00      6,626      100.00
    10    Food Products     15,659      43.22      1,425      21.51
    OT    Other Products     11,814      32.60      1,613      24.34
    23    Other Non-metallic Mineral Products     8,512      23.49      3,507      52.93
    18    Printing and Reproduction of Recorded Media     304      0.84      97      1.46
    16    Wood and of Products of Wood and Cork, Except Furniture     36      0.10      -16     -0.24
Meghalaya    Total     325,326      100.00      99,223      100.00
        Total of 7 Industries     308,294      94.76      95,678      96.43
    23    Other Non-metallic Mineral Products     183,926      56.54      75,941      76.54
    24    Basic Metals     80,649      24.79      7,451      7.51
    20    Chemicals and Chemical Products     10,328      3.17      5,407      5.45
    25    Fabricated Metal Products Except Machinery and Equipment     10,276      3.16      1,248      1.26
    11    Beverages     9,852      3.03      3,711      3.74
    10    Food Products     7,095      2.18      992      1.00
    19    Coke and Refined Petroleum Products     6,168      1.90      928      0.94
Nagaland        Total     57,932      100.00      7,602      100.00
        Total of 5 Industries     57,932      100.00      7,602      100.00
    16    Wood and of Products of Wood and Cork, Except Furniture     51,399      88.72      6,064      79.77
    10    Food Products     4,579      7.90      556      7.31
    23    Other Non-metallic Mineral Products     1,230      2.12      709      9.33
    OT    Other Industries     635      1.10      193      2.54
    18    Printing and Reproduction of Recorded Media     89      0.15      80      1.05
Sikkim        Total     556,220      100.00      348,179      100.00
        Total of 7 Industries     554,485      99.69      347,838      99.90
    21    Basic Pharmaceutical Products and Pharmaceutical Preparations     439,254      78.97      320,080      91.93
    20    Chemicals and Chemical Products     73,691      13.25      20,075      5.77
    11    Beverages     18,310      3.29      3,449      0.99
    10    Food Products     11,503      2.07      3,144      0.90
    22    Rubber and Plastic Products     5,648      1.02      745      0.21
    OT    Other Industries     3,500      0.63      (129)     (0.04)     18    Paper and Paper Products     2,579      0.46      474      0.14
Tripura        Total     122,682      100.00      24,787      100.00
        Total of 7 Industries     119,641      97.52      24,405      98.46
    OT    Other Industries     30,296      24.69      1,831      7.39
    23    Other Non-metallic Mineral Products     28,373      23.13      11,656      47.02
    10    Food Products     18,003      14.67      3,230      13.03
    24    Basic Metals     15,586      12.70      949      3.83
    22    Rubber and Plastic Products     14,317      11.67      307      1.24
    12    Tobacco Products     10,895      8.88      5,520      22.27
    11    Beverages     2,171      1.77      912      3.68

Source: ASI

Table 3 gives the information for large industrial firms for all-India and six states of the NER. The NER has only 2% of the factories of Indian total indicating how far the NER lags behind the rest of India in industrialization. Understandably, 78% of the NER's factories are located at Assam followed by Tripura (13%) and Manipur (0.03%).

The total manufacturing output is also low, accounting for a mere 1% of the Indian total. Again, Assam contributes more than 80% of the total manufacturing output of the NER, followed by Sikkim (10.2%). The region's share of value added accounts for 1.3% of the Indian total, implying inefficiency in input use. The share of profit is also very low: only 2% of the Indian total.

To be continued ....