Nagaland takes a leaf out of Manipur’s book

From Subhaschandra M
Mizzima News: 20 November, 2006

Nagaland, another northeastern state in India has joined the race in boosting trade between India and Burma. Following in the footsteps of Manipur it has expressed keen interest in promoting trade between villages of the two countries through Pangsa, a tiny border hill town.

Villagers of the two neighbouring nations are still largely dependent on barter trade at the border trade points.

Given the age old relationship between villagers residing in the border areas and the future prospect of barter trade, Mr. S C Jamir, the former Chief Minister of Nagaland, who is the present Governor of Goa, another Indian state in the west of the country established a permanent International Trade Centre at Pangsa on November 15,1996.

The Nagaland Transport Minister Mr. Imtilemba Sangtam who visited the International Trade Centre recently during his tour of Tuensang district, expressed his desire to promote the place. He urged the villagers to encourage residents on the other side of the international border to approach the Myanmarese government to develop roads so as to enable them to bring more goods to trade at the trade centre. This would benefit the people on both sides.

"Similarly we will take up development of roads leading to the trade centre and the villages located along the border," Mr. Imtilemba said. He stressed on the need to develop roads and provide road connectivity to these remote villages.

The main reason behind efforts to improve and upgrade the Pangsa trade centre is to have direct trade instead of importing through Moreh town in Manipur, another Indian border state. The Nagaland Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio at the meeting of chief ministers of north east India in New Delhi on Wednesday also highlighted the importance of opening up of trade with South Asian countries not only to boost trade and the economy but also to remove the sense of isolation and neglect felt so long by the people of the region.

Villagers of four Myanmar villages Khiamniungan, Chiu, Shep and Law which are close to Nagaland's Pangsa trade centre also come for barter trade at the centre twice a month in a big way. Villagers decide on a specific date for barter and make a list of items that are in demand on their respective sides. The major trade items include guns, gunpowder, diamonds, gold, precious stones, and meat among others. Although village elders insist that they have banned the sale and smuggling of drugs, heroin and opium are also said to be coming to India from this part of the border.