Assam has a vibrant industrial base. From the oldest tea industry and huge onshore oil production to the only Stock Exchange in the region and large presence of Banks and FIIs, its industrial base spreads across a wide spectrum of existing industries in petroleum, petrochemicals, fertilizers, textiles, cement, paper, plastics, cosmetics and a host of products and services. But there is always scope for more. Amongst numerous options, the focus area identified for investment could be: Commercial Horticulture, Marketing of Fresh, Processed and Frozen Fruits and Vegetables; Commercial Cultivation, Extraction and Value Addition of Herbal Medicinal and Aromatic Plants; Information Technology; Electronics and Computer Hardware; Tourism and Tourism Infrastructure. Conventional areas of investment could be Hydrocarbons (Exploration & Production, Petrochemicals & Plastics); Minerals (Cement, Coal, Ceramic, Coke); Energy (Generation of Thermal/Hydel/Non-conventional Power).

Bamboo, which is the fastest growing plant and generates a large bio-mass, holds the potential to replace wood on many grounds. India is 2nd largest in bamboo resources in the world next only to China. The North-Eastern region holds about 65% of the country's total estimated stock which is around 90 million tonnes.

The Government of India has launched the National Bamboo Mission with focus on North East India. Opportunities abound in the areas of re-inventing bamboo in plywood units and paper mills, micro-propagation & production, shoot processing, industrial products, machinery & equipment and skill up-gradation & training.

A Bamboo Technology Park at Chaygaon is likely to be operational soon with its state of art technology.