Look East Ghanashyam Nath

SINCE time immemorial and the emergence of human civilisation, the concept of trade between the nations emerged through maritime. Because mankind by basic instinct, always tries to avail of the cheapest mode for carrying bulky goods. That urge for exchnge of surplus product of one nation with another nation was carried through navigational route. Trade relation in South East Asian Nations cannot be improved with North East India owing to landlocked state and hilly terrain. Although James Stillwell had constructed the Stillwell Road during the Second World War period but this road from Margherita to Ledo and beyond has remained closed. Perhaps mainly because of voluminous trade in landlocked area through surface road is not commercially viable.From historical account we find that maritime and continental trade in Laos and other neighbouring nations was possible because of navigational facilities. Even coastal Andhra Pradesh and coastal belt of Orissa during the regime of Kalinga had establiushed trade relations with South East Asian countries by sea route. Even King Ashoka could depute his children Mahendra and Sanghmitra to Sri Lanka, China and Japan through sea route for spread of buddhism. Perhaps the same maritime route may be now converted into a commercial export route. The land route for bulk import and export through a difficult physical terrain would not attain a high rate of success. The Confederation of Indian Industries in North Bengal in one of its meetings in Siliguri in January 2004 had deliberated of opening of the Nathula Pass for facilitating trade with Younon province of China. The summit concluded that through Nathula Pass bordering Yunan province is landlocked and far from the main commercial hubs of Beijing and Peking, they found that physical barrier would be minimum for getting their supply from India via Nathula Pass. Secondly, it was also estimated that at an altitude of 11000 to 12000 ft of landlocked hilly terrain, the Government of India mechinery would find it difficult to maintain the all seasonal surface road connectivity. Thirdly, the seminar also predicted the transportation cost involved in carrying the goods from Siliguri and catchment areas even from North-East would be very high. Fourthly, the repairing cost of vehicles and spare parts maintenance of international highway for export trade with Younon province of China is also a reckoning factor. This justifies our aforesaid historical account that maritime route can never be substituted by surface road connection. The SAARC conference at Islamabad in January 2004 of seven nations had signed an agreement called South Asian Free Trade Area Framework Agreement 2004. As per this agreement, by January 2006, the SAARC nations would create a South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA).

As a result the trade among the seven nations would be liberal, each of them would remove trade restrictions among themselves, import duty would be reduced, besides extending further economic concessions and other facilities for business and trade among them.

No doubt it is a great event in the economic history of South East Asia. By virtue of this agreement, the nations would march closer to the formation of unified economic zone or region. It is also believed that the more the trade between the nations increases, the more will be the urge for maintaining reciprocal friendly diplomatic relations. The tea industry in Assam had agreed to have its product tested by the Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) as part of a strategy to prevent the export of tea that has not been manufactured in compliance with global norms.

As a member of WTO, India has accepted the International Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point system, designed to indentify and eliminate the presence of microbial and other hazardous substances in food.

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