Assam: NRL Prepares To Set Up Retail Outlets In Myanmar

Guwahati: The state-owned oil refinery in Assam’s Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) intends to reach Myanmar by opening retail locations there.

NRL Chairman and Managing Director Bhaskar Jyoti Phukan stated that the business had chosen a partner to collaborate with in Myanmar but was awaiting a more favourable environment because the nation has been in unrest ever since the military regime took control in February 2021. The corporation wants to take advantage of the area’s great potential and underserved population, which totals over 40 lakhs.

Phukan continued, “The Sagaing region of Myanmar is close to Moreah on the Indian side, and with the upcoming Asian highway, there is great potential in the region.” However, it is currently expensive to travel from Numaligarh to Myanmar. Phukan claimed that although their goal to enter Myanmar had been delayed by the political change, they had already exported along routes leading directly from Numaligarh to Moreah, a distance of about 421 kilometres.

According to a senior NRL official, China is making significant investments in Myanmar and is using tankers to transport goods from Mandalay to Yangon. With an investment of Rs 28,000 crore, NRL, one of the four refineries in Assam, is raising its annual capacity from 3 to 9 million metric tonnes.

The NRL was established at Numaligarh in the Golaghat district in accordance with the terms of the Assam Accord, which was signed on August 15, 1985, and as a means of promoting the rapid industrial and economic development of the area.

Former Prime Minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee dedicated the NRL to the nation on July 9, 1999. NRL has been operating in Bangladesh and now intends to expand to Myanmar, which would provide a new market and assist the business in developing further.