Guwahati, Nov. 2: The Centre is looking at mining as a prospective sector for investment in the mineral-rich Northeast.

For this, the ministry of mines and DoNER, with support from the Federation of Indian Mineral Industries, will hold an investors’ meet and a conference on Development of Mineral Resources and Mineral-based Industry in North Eastern Region here on Friday and Saturday.

A senior official said the Northeast holds tremendous potential for the growth of mineral and mineral-based industries and for export to Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Laos.

The agencies are trying to woo foreign countries to look at the mineral-rich region as a destination.

“The problem is the law and order situation as companies will have to work in remote areas for mining,” the official said.

Minerals being bulk commodities, the impact of freight and infrastructure, which determine the economic viability of the industry, is huge.

According to the Geological Survey of India’s estimates, there are 909 million tones of coal reserves in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland.

The quality of limestone found in Manipur and Nagaland is of very good quality.

Arunachal Pradesh has an estimated reserve of 246.75 million tonnes of dolomite, used in cement industry, and 84.7 million tonnes of graphite, used in paints and electrical industry.

Assam has an estimated reserve of 0.71 million tones of fireclay, suitable for making pottery and firebricks. Silica sand found in Assam and Tripura is used for manufacture of glass.

The meeting will discuss the thrust sectors for investment in mineral industry, review the constraints faced by the industry and suggest remedies.

The participants will also deliberate on the need for a pragmatic policy in respect of classification of mineral-bearing land and forest land.

Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland, Sikkim, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh will inform the Centre about the mineral resources available, opportunities for mining, development of mineral-based industries and the incentives the states can offer.

Experts from leading national and international mining companies, mineral trading companies, policy makers, technologists, investors and financial institutions, environmental and safety experts and mining equipment manufacturers are expected to attend the meet.