Concept Note

SHEFEXIL Film for Promotion of Investment Opportunities in MFPs in the Northeast

Language English
Duration 30 minutes
Format DVCPro 50

Objective

The film intends to showcase the scope for investments in development and export of Minor Forest
Products (MFPs) in the Northeastern states of India.

It will highlight the activities of Shellac and Forest Products Export Promotion Council (SHEFEXIL) as
Government of India’s nodal Export Promotion Council for the Northeastern region of India.

The film aims to attract investor interest through promotion of the special fiscal incentives and benefits
as laid down in The Northeast Industrial Investment Policy 2007 (NEIIPP).

Concept

The Northeast is opening up and by the year 2020 we aspire to see the region emerge strong and
confident, and ready to engage with the global economy. The phenomenal biodiversity, so far untapped,
would be the single largest contributor to the economic revolution. Leading from the front is SHEFEXIL
which is working to create a Global Brand for Indian Minor Forest Produce. This film is an open invitation
to be a part of that revolution.

India’s Northeastern region is almost another world. It includes the seven sisters - Arunachal Pradesh,
Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura, along with a small and beautiful cousin in
the Himalayan fringes; Sikkim. The region has 8 percent of the country’s total land space and yet can
boast of 25 percent of the country’s forest cover. And with just about 4 percent of the country’s
population the Northeast definitely has a distinct edge over the rest of the country. The film will
introduce the immense forest resources the region is endowed with. The MFPs of all the eight states
along with will be presented separately.

To permanently erase the “remote land” tag, a contribution of troubled history and geo-politics, the
Government of India has drafted The Northeast Industrial Investment Policy 2007 (NEIIPP). With virtually
tax-free fiscal packages, growth centers, subsidies on capital investment, transport, working capital and
power etc. it is a win-win situation for the investor. The film will clearly outline these benefits.

The film will conclude with a brief analysis of the Northeast as a strategic base for investors to tap the
vast national as well as the contiguous international markets.

Page 1 of 2
Treatment

India’s Northeastern region is a “rainbow country …extraordinarily diverse and colourful, mysterious
when seen through parted clouds.” The film begins with a befitting montage of the exotic landscape that
in essence would be an ode to the forests. The lavish green tones, the dense growths will become a
character, a metaphor for the development that the Northeast is poised for. As we progress, the
audience is introduced to the sheer abundance of resources waiting to be tapped.

The core of the film will see each of the eight states being introduced individually. It will be a journey
across the Northeast, a journey with all its metaphorical overtones and in-built rhythms of movement.
Through the journey the seven sisters and their cousin will be introduced. The forest will remain the
central character linking the states. Each capsule will have localized information about the products and
investment opportunities. Necessary data will be shown with the use of suitable computer graphics.
Visuals will include glimpses of cultivation, processing and finished products.

The final part of the film will present the special fiscal policies and will outline the role of SHEFEXIL as the
nodal agency to facilitate the rejuvenation of the Northeast. Visuals will include glimpses of the modern
Northeast with infrastructure, facilities as well as SHEFEXIL activities.

The film concludes with a return to the eulogy to our forests.

Page 2 of 2