Manipur is situated in the eastern-most corner of Northeast India. Manipur shares its borders with Nagaland to the north, Assam to the west and Mizoram to the south, and shares international borders with its neighbouring Myanmar-Chin Hills and Chindwin. Manipur has the advantage of acting as India’s ‘Gateway to the East’ through Moreh town, which is the only feasible land route for trade between India and Myanmar and other Southeast Asian countries. Due to its wealth of flora and fauna, Manipur is described as a ‘flower on lofty heights’, ‘a jewel of India’ and ‘Switzerland of the East’. Its breath-taking scenic beauty makes it a tourist’s paradise. Manipur has the highest number of handicrafts units as well as the highest number of craft persons comprising skilled and semi-skilled artisans in the entire north-eastern region. Handlooms is the largest cottage industry in Manipur and the state ranks among the top five in terms of the number of looms in the country.

The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) was about Rs 258.70 billion (US$ 3.76 billion) in 2018-19. The GSDP growth of the state is expected at a CAGR of 10.43 per cent between 2011-12 and 2018-19. Total merchandise exports from Manipur increased from US$ 0.19 million in 2014-15 to US$ 2.66 million in 2018-19.

According to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), cumulative FDI inflows into the northeast states, during April 2000 to June 2019, amounted to US$ 122 million.