Export to Southeast Asia via land route a reality: NRL

Numaligarh Refinery Ltd's wax export to Myanmar will open floodgates for international trade with Southeast Asian countries via land route, the company today said.
A consignment containing 20 metric tonnes of wax in two trucks was flagged off from NRL Marketing Terminal to Myanmar by Managing Director in-charge S K Barua in presence of senior officials of the company on January 13, a press release said.
Stating that the development assumes significance as it is yet another effort to bolster the Centre's 'Act East Policy, it said NRL has been trying to establish trade links with neighbouring South-East Asian countries through the export of paraffin wax and diesel.

It is also for the first time that the NRL has exported wax utilizing the Moreh-Tamu land route after exporting diesel to the country through the route.
The release said that the distance of Tamu, which is the bordering town in Myanmar, is around 425-430 km from Numaligarh Refinery.
Previously, all the exports to Myanmar were done via sea route through Kolkata/Haldia Port.

So far, NRL has exported around 1,700 MT of paraffin wax to Myanmar and the total export of wax from NRLs wax plant stands at over 6,000 MT reaching 20 different countries worldwide.
Speaking on the occasion, Barua said, "This development is the right step towards opening border trade with Myanmar and other Southeast Asian countries, which is very critical for the development of North East".

"We feel there is a great potential of revival of international commerce through road and rail between India and Myanmar", the MD was quoted as saying in the release.
Myanmar and Bangladesh being the closest countries, additional thrust has been given to establishing markets in these countries for NRL products, he added.