Manipur industry
Industry in Manipur is mostly small-scale: handloom and handicrafts, bamboo and cane products, food processing and pottery. Moreh, on the border with Myanmar, is a trading town on the route to South-East Asia.
The Manipur Industrial Development Corporation looks after industrial estates in the state.
Key industries
- Handloom and handicrafts
- Food processing
- Bamboo products
- Border trade
Specialties of Manipur
Chak-Hao black rice
Chak-Hao is Manipur's aromatic black rice, purple-black when cooked, grown in the Imphal valley and nearby hills. It is eaten at feasts and made into kheer (chak-hao amubi), and is in demand elsewhere for its antioxidants.
Kachai lemon
Kachai village in Ukhrul district grows a large, juicy and fragrant lemon, rich in vitamin C, and holds a lemon festival each year.
Help for entrepreneurs and local industries
Every district has a District Industries Centre (DIC), run by the state's industries department. It is the first place to go to register a unit, to apply for the state's incentives and subsidies, and for help with central schemes such as PMEGP.
From the Manipur government
- Directorate of Commerce and Industries, Manipur: industrial policy, schemes and the District Industries Centres
From the Government of India
- Udyam Registration: free online registration for micro, small and medium enterprises, with an Aadhaar number; the Udyam certificate is needed for most MSME schemes and for priority-sector bank loans
- Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP): loans to start a new micro enterprise, with a government subsidy of 15 to 35 per cent of the project cost (higher in rural areas and for women, SC/ST and other special categories); apply through the District Industries Centre or the Khadi and Village Industries Commission
- Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana: loans without collateral from banks, small finance banks and microfinance institutions: Shishu up to Rs 50,000, Kishor up to Rs 5 lakh, Tarun up to Rs 10 lakh, and Tarun Plus up to Rs 20 lakh for those who have repaid a Tarun loan
- Stand-Up India: bank loans of Rs 10 lakh to Rs 1 crore to set up a new enterprise, for women and for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe entrepreneurs
- Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE): guarantees bank loans to micro and small enterprises, so they can borrow without collateral or a third-party guarantee
- Startup India: recognition by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, which brings tax and patent benefits, the Startup India Seed Fund and mentoring
- PM Vishwakarma: for artisans and craftspeople in 18 traditional trades: recognition, skill training with a stipend, a toolkit grant and low-interest loans without collateral
- PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME): for small food-processing units: a 35 per cent credit-linked subsidy (up to Rs 10 lakh a unit), seed capital for self-help groups, and help with branding and marketing
- Government e-Marketplace (GeM): sell goods and services online to government departments and public sector companies
- MSME Samadhaan: file a case when a buyer has not paid a micro or small enterprise within 45 days
- MSME Champions: the Ministry of MSME's help desk for complaints and problems with finance, approvals and markets
- MSME Development and Facilitation Offices: the Ministry of MSME's offices in every state: advice, training, testing and the ministry's schemes
- Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI): the bank for small industries: loans, and refinance through other lenders
- National Single Window System: one place to apply for central approvals and licences, and for many states' approvals
- One District One Product: promotes a chosen product of each district, with help to find buyers and export
- NIESBUD: the national institute for entrepreneurship training, under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
- myScheme: search central and state government schemes by state, occupation and other details
Schemes, limits and subsidies change with each budget: check the official site before applying.
Sources
Summarised from the state's industrial policy and the official profiles linked below. Specialties: Chak-Hao black rice (Geographical Indication: Chak Hao); Kachai lemon (Geographical Indication: Kachai Lemon).
Reference links
- Invest India: Manipur: the national investment agency's state page
- Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade: Government of India
- Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises: Government of India
- India Brand Equity Foundation: Manipur: state profile (a trust of the Ministry of Commerce)
- Geographical Indications registered in India, state by state: Geographical Indications Registry, as on 31 December 2025 (PDF)
- One District One Product: each district's chosen products