BHUBANESWAR: Laden with history, the state's overseas trade ties may get a much-needed push at the Make in Odisha conclave which is slated to begin from Sunday. With a 480-km-long coast, Odisha once commanded a powerful position in the subcontinent's maritime activities. The state's hopes for growth in export now has potential for reviving the same glory."The revival of maritime trade is quite important for the state and we will certainly try to make business deals with countries that can be connected through sea routes from Odisha," said industry minister Anant Das.Official sources said the fields in which there can be possible collaborations between Odisha and other countries across the Indian Ocean include information technology, telecommunications, finance, education, health, hospitality, travel and tourism, construction and transportation. There is similar scope for joint ventures in food processing, furniture, gems and jewellery, agro-biotech, textiles and wood crafts with various companies."Odisha has the advantage of location. Huge investments planned for maritime infrastructure in the state with several new ports coming up in the next few years would lead to possible business transactions," Das pointed out.There is historical evidence of strong sea-trade ties between Kalinga (ancient Odisha) and countries like Sri Lanka and other south Asian countries."Revival of these routes would be a win-win situation for investors as well because instead of going to a new place they would get to invest in a place with strong cultural and social links," said Sunil Patnaik, researcher at Odisha Institute of Maritime and South East Asian Studies.However, industry bodies said though the potential of Odisha's sea trade is immense, investment opportunities with Asian and south Asian countries has not been encouraging over the years. "Most of them compete with Odisha to export products to USA, UK and other European countries," said Ramesh Mohapatra, president of Utkal Chamber of Commerce and Industries.

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