Imphal, March 06 2009: State private and public enterprises have signed four Memorandum of Understandings with numerous Vietnamese firms during the ASEAN - North East India Investment and Trade Opportunities Summit recently held from February 12 to 14 at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Declaring this Manipur Electronics Development Corporation Limited (MANITRON) Managing Director N Joykumar Singh, in a press meet conducted at Hotel Imphal today said that an MoU had been signed between the State public enterprise and MYA Business Corporation, Vietnam in the field of IT sector.

According to the MoU, MANITRON will prepare Smart Cards for the ASEAN country that will include Driving License, RC book and other information of vehicle owners of Vietnam.

Mentioned may be made that Manipur Government is also planning to issue similar Smart Cards to the vehicle owners of the State.

Joykumar further informed the media that Kh Debabrata Singh of Thangmeiband Kabrambam Leikai and M/s K Marung and Sons of Chandel district also signed different MoUs with Vietnamese firms in the field of bamboo and handicraft items.

Manipur Food Industries Corporation Limited (MFICL) also inked an MoU with a Vietnamese food processing firm in the summit.

Joykumar further said that Vietnamese delegates also expressed interest in the taste and quality of State indigenous foods like Chakhao (black aromatic rice; Scientific name Oryza Sativa), Umorok, Uchina, Sekmai country liquor etc.

The Indian delegates included Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Lal T Muana (a native of Mizoram), DoNER Ministry Secretary Jarnail Singh, Consul General of India in Ho Minh City Jitendra Nath Mishra, State Additional Chief Secretary (Planning, Home) DS Poonia and ICC General Secretary Dr Rajiv Singh.

Seventeen delegates from the State took part in the summit.

The summit was organised by DoNER Ministry in association with Indian Chamber of Commerce, Indian Diplomatic Mission in Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industries with the objective of attracting investment from ASEAN countries to NE India.

Delegates from Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada, Korea, Malaysia and Japan took part in the summit.

Seventy companies from different business sectors of NE India participated in the summit.

DoNER Ministry had earlier organised NE India Trade and Investment Opportunities Week in Bangkok and NE Investment Opportunity Day in New York.

At present, India accounts for 10 percent of ASEAN exports, while Indian imports from the region form 9.5 percent of its total.

Last year, bilateral trade turnover between the two Nations reached $ 2.5 billion.

NE region shares almost 98 percent of its borders with China, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Myanmar.

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