Achiever's Success Story
The path to success is to take massive, determined action
After graduating from Gauhati Commerce College, Mrinal Hatkhowa started his own venture in the travel and tourism industry. He travelled extensively throughout the North East of India and the neighbouring countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan and the ASEAN nations. During his travel he realised that North East India had great potential to become a major export-import hub with respect to the BBIN and ASEAN nations and with the right impetus it can extend its reach to the Far East, but the only thing it lacked was good connectivity and infrastructure at the borders of quick clearance of trade consignments. During this time the Government of India announced the ‘Look East’ policy and Mr. Hatkhowa saw an opportunity, he got himself an import-export licence and joined the North East Federation on International Trade.
Through his sheer hard work he moved up through the ranks and was elected as the General secretary of NEFIT in 2004, a post he is still holds and serving for the last eighteen years. In these years he along with Mr. R C Agrawal, Founder President of NEFIT worked closely with different Central / State Governments, High Commissions and Respective Embassies to build necessary physical and financial infrastructure for boosting international trade and connectivity to and from North East India.’
NEFIT was established on 7th February, 2002 with its registered office in Shillong and correspondence office at Guwahati, NEFIT was recognised by the Union Ministry of Trade and Commerce, Government of India to issue ‘Certificate of Origin’ as specified in the Handbook of Procedures for EXIM trade. (For more information please visit www.nefitindia.com)
Through the constant effort and coordination of Team NEFIT with Central / States Governments, Customs Department, Different Export Promotion Councils to robust trade infrastructure were to built. With help of this initiatives open up numbers of Land Custom Station (LCS) at different states of North East Region of India.
NEFIT established a successful trade and tourism partnership with the ASEAN nations highlighting the potential for overland trade to and from North East India. As confidence building measures NEFIT organized three times ASEAN car rallies in the year 2012, 2016 & 2018 for addressing different issues like mapping connectivity, trade development, tourism, and people to people contact and cultural exchange programs.
In the recent past Team NEFIT had organized many Delegations to visit neighboring and far eastern countries to explore the potential aspects of Border Trade, Tourism, Education, Investment and Co-Operation.
Under Mr. Hatkhowa’s active leadership NEFIT had taken the first ever exposure delegation to Kunming P.R. China through the land route via Myanmar, to focus on age old trade connectivity between Republic of India, Union of Myanmar and People’s Republic of China.
Under NEFIT leadership signed some MOU’s with the following Chamber of Commerce:-
Chittagong Chambers of Commerce and Industries, Bangladesh (CCCI), Dhaka Chambers of Commerce and Industries, Bangladesh (DCCI), Sylhet Chambers of Commerce and Industries, Bangladesh (SCCI), Union of Myanmar Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Myanmar (UMFCCI), Tamu – Kalay Border Trade Chamber of Commerce, Union of Myanmar, Chiang Mai Chamber of Commerce, Chiang Mai, Thailand , YIWU Trade City, Baoshan, P.R. China and International Trade Promotion Federation of Baoshan, P.R. China.
In the year 2012, Team NEFIT had taken a High Level Trade Delegation to Hangzhou, P.R China in collaboration with South Asia Bamboo Foundation (SABF) and China National Bamboo Research Institute for Exposure on Bamboo Technology Training Programme for setting up first ever Bamboo Technology Park at Assam.
NEFIT in collaboration with some Universities and Colleges from Assam organised many Educational Exposure Trip to Baoshan University, Kunming University and Mandalay University under the TCIM initiatives undertaken by Team NEFIT for promotion and exchanges of Trade, Culture, Education and Tourism.
Team NEFIT had taken a pioneer initiative to import some Agricultural products from Baoshan prefecture situated in Yunnan Province of China in connection with 3rd International Agro- Horti Trade Show at Guwahati through the present Stillwell road. This initiative had helped NEFIT to gather much information regarding present status of the famed Stillwell road along with future overland trade possibilities with China which is considered as the oldest and less time consuming trade route between India China.
Team NEFIT had organized 15 (fifteen) Awareness Programme on Zero Defect, Zero Effect (ZED) Certification Scheme as per the 2016 Ministry of MSME Guideline in Association with National Board of Quality Control (NBQC), Quality Council of India, (QCI) Govt. of India, New Delhi, in different states of the North Eastern Region.
NEFIT will be organizing the BIBN Friendship Car Rally 2022 to reboot economic actives in the post pandemic era with the neighboring countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal, starting from Dhaka in Bangladesh and ending at Varanasi in India moving across Sylhet, Dawki, Shillong, Guwahati, Thimphu and Kathmandu in the month of November-December 2022.
NEFIT is always open for collaboration with likeminded domestic and international organizations for promotion of trade, tourism, education and cultural exchange with North East India. Mr. Hatkhowa always believes that ‘Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success’.