Guwahati, Jan 21: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said the state has emerged as a new investment destination on the global stage, with the UAE-based Lulu Group set to send a delegation to Assam to explore opportunities in agro-processing, hospitality, and retail sectors.
Sarma held detailed discussions with Yusuff Ali, Chairman of the Lulu Group, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
“Had a detailed discussion with Mr Yusuff Ali, Chairman of the UAE-based Lulu Group. The Group will soon be sending a team to Assam to explore investment opportunities across agro-processing, hospitality, and commercial retail sectors,” Sarma posted on X.
The Chief Minister said that over the last three days at Davos, he met more than 20 global business leaders and held extensive discussions on Assam’s investment potential across multiple sectors.
“These intense discussions will bear fruit in the coming days and months,” he said, adding that Assam’s participation at WEF as part of “Team Bharat” reflected India’s shift towards balanced and inclusive economic growth.
Addressing the media after concluding his engagements, Sarma said global investor attention, once focused on a handful of Indian states, is now expanding to newer regions.
“Assam’s presence at a global platform like WEF shows that investment opportunities today are spread across all regions of the country,” he said.
Sarma also spoke about discussions with Frederic De Wilde, CEO of Inside PMI, on tackling tobacco consumption in Assam.
“Tobacco consumption is a major challenge in Assam, and we are aiming to make the state nicotine-free. As a transitional measure, the group has proposed tobacco harm reduction of 95–96 per cent through smoke-free and combustible tobacco alternatives. These options will be examined after thorough regulatory and statutory approvals,” Sarma said.
Highlighting outcomes from the two-day engagement at Davos, the Chief Minister said Assam signed multiple memoranda of understanding (MoUs) that would strengthen the state’s growth momentum.
“I am seeing huge enthusiasm among the international community about India’s growth prospects. It gives me great pride to see our country counted among major global powerhouses,” he said.
Sarma also pointed to fresh opportunities for Assam’s tea sector following the signing of the Indo-UK Free Trade Agreement and the proposed Indo-EU FTA.
“With these developments, Assam tea will find new markets. The state government is incentivising various facets of tea production to bring down costs and make the industry more competitive,” he said.
In another key meeting, Sarma met Ikarus Janzen, COO of the Varaha Group, which focuses on carbon removal through biochar, regenerative agriculture, and afforestation.
“We are exploring avenues to bring them on board to benefit Assam’s farming communities,” the Chief Minister said.
