When we talk about the eastern shore of India in general and Orissa in particular, the first thing that comes to mind is a state battered by natural disasters year after year –flood, draught et al. In spite of nature’s fury, the state has made remarkable progress in the field of art and culture. The state has also contributed immensely to India’s industrial sector. It is not for nothing that steel baron Laxmi Mittal is looking at the State as a major source of steel for its over-growing industry.

So much so, that Orissa plans to become a major export hub, riding on expectations from large-scale industrialisation in its backyard. Aiming at a quantum jump in exports in the next couple of years, the government has created a separate export cell and the government reiterated that they are indeed serious about developing export related infrastructure in the state.

Two port projects, Dhamra and Gopalpur are to be developed in the private sector.

The government is also encouraging Posco and Essel Mining to develop two minor ports. A special purpose vehicle has been formed taking the Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd. (RVNL) to develop a third railway line, Haridaspur- Paradip, to connect the port town with the Howrah-Madras mainline.

The Uttarachak-Paradip road project, linking Paradip with the Bhubaneswar airport is proposed for public-private partnership. A cold room for perishables is to come up at the Bhubaneswar airport.

The state earns Rs 5,500 crore through exports, which are growing at 20 to 22% annually. However, the export basket is limited to few items. With a 480 km coastline, there is vast scope for increasing marine product exports. Development of a cold chain and regular container service from Paradip port will provide the support.

Not only that the State also has a potential in growth of exports of handloom, handicraft, textile, gems and jewellery items.

The contributions of handloom, handicraft, textile, gems and jewellery to the state’s export kitty are 0.03%, 0.018%, 0.15%, and 0.004% respectively of the total volume of exports.

The state government, with the Central government’s assistance to State Infrastructure Development for Export (Aside) grant, has renovated the Utkalika showroom at Delhi. The showroom serves as an international gateway for the Orissa artifacts.

After industrialisation, exports should be the next port of call for Orissa.