The largest of the northeastern states of India, Assam is the Gateway to the northeast of India.

Assam, the land of unexplored opportunities welcomes you to its land of plenty.
Both the Central and State Governments are attaching a great deal of importance to create an
investment friendly climate in the state and are offering a whole range of subsidies and incentives
to set up industrial units in the state with the Central Government earmarking 10% of Union
Development Budget for North East India.
Assam is rich in natural resources, minerals, forests and water and has vast tracts of fertile land.
It is primarily an agrarian economy, with 74% of it's population engaged in agriculture and allied
activities. Cereals like paddy, wheat and plantation crops like tea are grown extensively. Amongst
mineral resources, oil takes the top place. Oil was first struck more than one hundred years ago
and the oil well of Digboi and other areas is a major source of fuel for not only the North-East but
for the country as a whole.
The economy of Assam can be broadly divided into three sectors- Primary (agriculture, mining
etc.) secondary (manufacturing) and tertiary (services like electricity, water, trade, finance,
banking, telecommunication etc).
Medicinal herbs and plants

With its vast hills and forests, Assam is the home to a variety of medicinal herbs and plants such
as eg. Sarpagandha (rauvolfia serpentine Benth.ex.Kur), Pippali (Piper longam Linn), Amlakhi
(Emblica Officinalis Gaertn), Hilikha (Terinalia Chebula Retz.), Bhomora (Terminalia belerica),
Arjuna (Terminalia arjuna Wight & Arn.).
About 300 types of medicinal herbs and plants are known to exist in abundance in the state with
the Brahmaputra valley itself having 150 varieties of herbs and plants of commercial value.
It is estimated that only about 5-10% of the plants and herbs are currently utilised and the rest
hold a vast potential.
Agriculture

An agrarian economy since time immemorial, about 77% of Assam's workforce is engaged
agriculture and allied activities contributing roughly 40% to the state's GDP. Roughly 40% of the
total area is cultivated.
Exotics
Assam Lemon: An unique product of Assam with a high percentage of Vitamin C (10 mg.) besides
Vitamin B (0.02 mg.), Niacin (0.1) per 100 gm. Extractable oil content of the peel is around 0.8%
and can be used in the cosmetic industry.
Hatkora: An exclusive export item belonging to the citrus family. Peel is used for tenderizing meat
and enhancing flavour in culinary dishes.
Orchids: Of the 925 varieties available in India, over 600 can be grown in Assam. Around 200
varieties are unique to this region of which 60% are ornamental in nature.
Aromatic Rice (Joha Rice): Quality comparable with any popular aromatic rice in the world.
Bhut Jalakia (Capsicum Chinensis Jacq.) : Hottest chilli on earth with Scovelli Heat Unit (SHG) of
10,41,047.
Sericulture

The climate and general environment of Assam is well suited to sericulture. Traditional varieties of
silk cultured include eri, muga and mulberry. The muga silk, known for its fine sheen and golden
colour is used by the local silk weaving industry and this has contributed to the development of
the muga culture in the State. There are vast opportunities in silk processing and spinning units.
Horticulture & Spices

The agro-climatic conditions favors cultivation of wide range of horticultural crops including
plantation crops and various fruits and vegetables, flowers, spices, medicinal & aromatic plants,
nut crops and tuber crops. Most horticulture products are organic as the use of Chemical
Fertilizers is very low with the majority of the farmers still sticking to traditional organic farming
methods.
Assam has over 600 varieties of Orchids. Around 200 varieties are unique to this region of which
60% are ornamental in nature. Assam also has a vast array of aromatic plants. At present most of
the oils extracted are sold in crude form. Some of the plants are Citronella (Cymbopogan
flexuosus Steud Wats), Lemon Grass, Patchouli (Pogostemon cabiln Benth.), Agar (Aquilaria
agallocha Roxb.), etc.
Forest resources

The state of Assam has a rich forest cover encompassing nearly a quarter of its land area.
Roughly half of the forests are reserved. Blessed with plentiful rainfall, the forests are a reserve of
such commercially useful produce like timber, bamboo, stone, cane, etc. Bamboo is the best
natural engineering material on this planet. Government of Assams objective to promote bamboo
as a substitute for wood, to make it the timber of the 21st century.
Indias 64% and worlds 20% growing stock of bamboo grows in NE India. North east annually
harvests bamboo worth of 500 billion rupees.
Consumption of wood is rising at 10% per annum in India. As a subsitute for wood, it can be
extensively used as a material for building, scaffolding and furniture.
Mineral resources

Assam is rich in mineral resources likeCoal (320 Mn.T.), Limestone (703 Mn.T.), Iron Ore(11 Mn.T)
and Granite(1 Bn. Cu. Mtrs) along many more resources like Fireclay, Lithomarge, Fuller's Earth,
Sillimanite and Glass Sand. The coal found in Assam has a high sulphur content and high volatile
matter content, thereby reducing its cokeability.
Limestone with reserves of about 500 million tonnes is another important resource and is
available in various grades. The China clay available in the Karbi-Anglong district is a vital input
for the ceramics industry and has already spawned a few small plants. Deposits of decorative
stone like granite estimated to be more than a billion cubic meters are available in various shades
and colours, which have a huge market potential locally and abroad.
Opportunities based on minerals are Gasification & Liquefaction of Coal, De-Sulphurisation of Coal,
Coal based Power Plant, Coal Bed Methane (CBM) Extraction, Exploration of Oil & Natural Gas and
HDPE / LLDPE / Polypropylene based industries.
Energy/Oil/Gas Based industry

Assam has over 1.3 billion tonnes of proven crude oil and 156 billion cu. mt of natural gas
reserves. Superior quality natural gas available at an attractive price.
Assam accounts for about 15% of India's crude output. The wells at Digboi, Duliajan, Sivasagar
etc. also produce Natural gas accounting to about 50% of India's total onshore production.

The refineries have the following capacities:;

Digboi Refinery (Capacity 0.65 MMTPA)
Guwahati Refinery (Capacity 1.00 MMTPA)
Numaligarh Refinery (Capacity 3.00 MMTPA)
Bongaigaon Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd. (Capacity 2.35 MMTPA)
The Assam Gas Cracker Plant is coming up. The HDPE/LLDPE is 220,000 TPA, Polypropelene is
60,000 TPA. In the last 4 years or so, private sector/JV companies have made about 32 significant
hydrocarbon discoveries.
Tourism

To nature lovers all over the world, wildlife enthusiasts, sightseers, ornithologists and
photographers, Assam is a dream destination.
Its natural landscape, lush green forests, wild life sanctuaries, pilgrimage spots and tea gardens
offer a wide choice to cater to the tastes of a variety of tourists from the casual sightseer to the
adventure tourist. With the withdrawal of the Restricted Area Permit (RAP), tourism is poised for a
major boom.
There are immense opportunities in the following areas:
Accommodation Projects Hotels, Motels, Lodges, Resorts
Food Oriented Projects Restaurants, Cafeterias, Wayside Amenities
Service Oriented Projects Travel Agencies, Tour Operators, Training Institutes
Ropeways, amusement parks
A few tourist destination in the state are given below :

Wildlife Sanctuaries

Kaziranga, Manas, Orang, Sonai, Rupai, Laokhowa, Pobitora, DibruChaikhowa.

Scenic Beauty

Chandubi, Bhairabkunda, Daranga, Bhalukpung, Haflong

Pilgrimage

Guwahati, Hajo, Majuli, Batadrawa

Golf courses with air

strips

Narengi, Borsola, East Boraoi and 21 others

Manpower availability and skills

Assam has numerous educational institutions with a substantial portion of the population in the 15
to 25 age group in the major towns being computer literate.
The state has a literacy rate of 52.89%. The female literacy in this region of 43.03% is
higher then the national average of 39.19%. Assam has four universities and one agricultural
university. It also has 3 medical colleges and one for aquaculture.
With reference to technical education, the state has 4 engineering colleges including an IIT
(Indian Institute of Technology), 23 vocational training institutes (ITI), 8 polytechnics and 1 junior
technical school. There is a big gap between the national average and state figure in terms of
technical education and all efforts are being made to achieve the national average by end of IXth
Plan.

As per The Assam Private University Act 2007, the following incentives are available to private
investors:
Legal Coverage provided
University to be self financed
Sponsoring body to estbalish endowment fund of Rs. 10 Million in tribal area and Rs. 20 million in other areas.
Allows campus in the state and study centres at different places