About Assam: Tourism, Industries in Assam, Agriculture, Economy & Geography

Assam is located in the northeast of India. The state shares its borders with Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura, and West Bengal. The state shares international borders with Bangladesh, Myanmar, and the Kingdom of Bhutan. Assam is India's gateway to northeast and acts as a vital link for trade with Southeast Asian countries. The state is known for its tea, petroleum resources, muga silk and biodiversity. It is also becoming an increasingly popular destination for wildlife tourism.

The state is rich in water resources and has vast tracts of fertile land. Assam is also the third-largest producer of petroleum and natural gas in the country and has ample reserves of limestone. With its five national parks and 18 wildlife sanctuaries, the state is a biodiversity hotspot. Other potential areas of investment include power and energy, mineral-based industries, tourism, and crude oil refining.

Assam has adopted numerous investor-friendly policies to attract investments and accelerate industrial development. Key areas of focus include the IT, tourism, and power sector along with several other initiatives such as the North East Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy (NEIIPP) 2007 and the Industrial and Investment Policy 2014. Assam stood 22nd among Indian states in rankings based on ease of doing business and reforms implementation, according to a study by the World Bank and KPMG. The Government has set a target to generate 6,500-megawatt (MW) power in the state by 2030. 

At current prices, the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of Assam is estimated to reach Rs 4.09 trillion (US$ 58.47 billion) in 2020-21. The GSDP of the state grew at a CAGR (in Rs) of 12.58 per cent between 2015-16 and 2020-21.

According to Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), cumulative FDI inflow in Assam** stood at US$ 122 million between April 2000 and September 2019. The state attracted US$ 2.93 million FDI between October 2019 and March 2020. Export from the state stood at US$ 369.76 million during 2018-19 and reached US$ 329.99 million in 2019-20 (till December 2019).

Recent Developments:

• Government introduced Jyotisman Asom scheme under Budget 2020-21 to provide free electricity to all households whose monthly electricity consumption is up to 30 units.
• Under State Budget 2020-21, Government announced setting up of five polytechnics, seven new Government colleges, two medical colleges, one ayurvedic college, one new law college and new university Sati Sadhoni Rayjik Vishwavidyalaya. 
• In February 2019, foundation of a 70 MW Solar Park at Japisajia village of Amguri in Sibsagar district was laid that has a production life of 25 years.
• Government of Assam has started the project preparatory activities for the World Bank funded Inland Water Project under the Inland Water Transport Department at Rs 975 crore (US$ 150.60) which will help realise the huge untapped potential in this sector.
• Budget 2019-20 states that over 22,000 beneficiaries have been provided relief under the Atal-Amrit Abhiyan health insurance scheme which has been allocated Rs 200 crore (US$ 28.62 million) for financial year 2019-20.

Key Sectors:

• Tea: During 2019-20^, production of tea in the state stood at 694.53 million kgs.
•  Agriculture and Allies: An agrarian economy since time immemorial, agriculture is the major contributor to the state economy. It also provides livelihood to a significant proportion of the population of the state. The agro-climatic conditions support cultivation of a wide range of horticultural crops, including plantation crops and various fruits and vegetables, flowers, spices, medicinal and aromatic plants, nut crops, and tuber crops. Pineapple, banana, cauliflower, Broccoli, rose, rice, papaya, sugarcane, turmeric, jute, potato, and Bougainvillea are among high yielding varieties of horticulture crops in Assam. It also includes traditional fruits like Carambola, Leteku, Paniyal Thekera, Au tenga etc. Total production of horticulture crops in the state in 2018-19* stood at 7.18 million tonnes with 702.53 thousand hectares area under production.
• Sericulture: Assam enjoys global monopoly in terms of Muga silk (also known as golden silk) production. The state accounts for around 95 per cent of global Muga production. Moreover, Assam is the country’s major Eri silk producer (accounts for 65 per cent of the country’s Eri silk production). Under State Budget 2020-21, Government allocated Rs 289 crore (US$ 41.35 million) for the Handloom Textiles and Sericulture Department.
• Tourism: During 2018, foreign tourist arrivals in the state reached around 5.85 while domestic tourist visits stood at 36,846.

Note: @ - Includes Fruits, Vegetables, Spices, Honey, Plantation, Aromatic and Flowers, * - As per 3^rd Advance Estimate, ^-Provisional, ** - Including Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Assam and Tripura