Jorhat, once the capital of the last Ahom Kings, is known not only for its natural beauty, but also for its economic activities.
The second National Jorhat Expo held recently saw the participation of people from all over the country and abroad as well. It focused on exposing North Eastern products to the outside world and invited investment from local entrepreneurs. It also helped in exchanging ideas and exploring new business avenues with the various participating countries. "Rather than selling the goods, our aim is to showcase new things to the people -the art and culture of our country. We want the people of Jorhat to love this art and take it to their homes," said Bipul, a Kenyan representative. Abdul Munam Morsee, an Egyptian, said, "A good number of people bought many things. People like to buy here. Three days I was here and now my stuff is close to getting finished." Around 40 stalls were set-up at the expo, including 10 local, 12 stalls of the Multi National Companies and five foreign stalls. It was a big hit not only in terms of the participation but also in terms of customers' response. "It is quite an improvement over last year's expo. New stalls and things we are seeing here, which we cannot see in other stalls in Jorhat. I found a lot of improvement," said Tracy, a customer. Districts like Jorhat are showing a keen interest in organising such fairs. This demonstrates that the people of Assam want to utilise the opportunities coming their way through free trade, and more than willing to take advantage of the country's 'Look East' Policy. KOUSHIK HAZARIKA http://koushikhazarika.co.nr
