Nagaland has potential to attract investments, say B20 delegates

Delegates of the B20 meeting here at the State capital Kohima were optimistic that Nagaland has the potential to attract investors especially because of the warm and hospitable nature of the people.
Talking to Nagaland Post, Simona Mihai, representing Romanian Embassy, said her visit to Nagaland was a very lovely surprise and that she had been using the words ‘amazing’ and ‘fantastic’ very often after landing here in Nagaland.
She acknowledged that Naga culture was very rich and deeply rooted within the people and that most of the visitors were only seeing the surface of that connection.
Mihai said she found the place very natural, green, yet very colourful and although people had their own rich culture, they were willing to share it with any visiting guest.
Sharing her experience of how she was visiting Nagaland for the first time even though she had been in India for the past seven years, Mihai said after coming to Nagaland she found out that there were many avenues which could attract investment.
She observed that Nagaland had very good coffee and apart from investing in it, there was also a need to support the entrepreneurs, NGOs and companies that were involved in the production. She said the companies dealing in coffee, handicraft, handlooms or silk, were well established however, they were looking for people to help them expand since it was not just government initiative but a local initiative as well.
Mihai, a geologist by profession, said the investment avenue for her was that she plans to bring geologist from all over the world to study the rocks, trees, mines, flora and soil which would expose the people to a variety of outcrops in India and Asia. She said in terms of modern technological overview, Nagaland still has a long way to go, however, she pointed out that even with limited resources and all the political conflict that took place over the years, the people had managed to set up State that was really thriving and was headed towards more prosperity for its citizens.
“The goal here is not to Westernise Nagaland, imitate another State or country but maintain its culture while technologizing it. I think that is the root of this conference and people from all over the world wants to invest in Nagaland to make it more Nagaland, a more modern one and a united one,” Simona said.
Chinese Political Counsellor, Zhou Yongsheng, said Nagaland was a place with beautiful sceneries and hospitable people. He said as visiting guests, they were overwhelmed by the hospitality the state government had rendered to them.
He observed that the traditional agricultural practices, organic farming and handicrafts in Nagaland share similarities with some places in China, especially the rearing of silk.
Yongsheng said he would use this opportunity to learn more about the State, the people, culture at the same time explore more cooperation opportunities between Nagaland and various places in China.
On the viability of investing in Nagaland, Yongsheng said the climatic condition of Nagaland which was tropical and sub-tropical, the deep rooted nature in organic farming, fluency in English, high literacy rate were some of the key aspects which could attract investors especially foreign companies.
He pointed out that he would convey the importance of the event hosted by Nagaland government and since it was their first visit, they (Chinese embassy) was in exploratory mode. Yongsheng exuded confidence that there would definitely be cooperation opportunities either in trade or in investment.
Badri Tiwari, from the Embassy of Nepal, said the vibrancy of Nagaland was very appealing.
He said some of the areas where Nepal and Nagaland could work together were tourism, cultural exchanges and human resources, which he added, were the first impressions for him when he came to Nagaland.
A representative of the Nepal government, Tiwari said he found out that there were many Nepalese here who had contributed towards the development of the state.
He pointed out that Nepal shares commonalities with North Eastern states like Sikkim, Mizoram and especially Nagaland in terms of geography and since Nepal was booming in tourism industry such steps could be replicated even in Nagaland through collaborative works.
He suggested that other areas like agriculture was also a viable sector where Nepal and Nagaland could put their heads together and come up with some ways to work together.