KATHMANDU: Nepal has urged India to remove various non-tariff barriers affecting its exports.
The request was made during the inter-governmental sub-committee meeting on trade and transit held in New Delhi on Thursday.
According to the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, the Nepali delegation specifically requested the removal of hurdles currently impacting the export of jute and steel products to India.
Furthermore, Nepal urged the Indian side to include Nepali agricultural products in India’s plant quarantine order, as previously agreed.
In response, the Indian delegation proposed that Nepal facilitate market access for Indian agricultural, pharmaceutical, and dairy products, while also addressing customs facilitation and intellectual property rights. Both delegations discussed mutual market access for agricultural goods and the approval of bilateral laboratory testing standards.
The discussions also covered the construction and upgrading of road and railway infrastructure at border points, as well as the establishment of testing laboratories.
The Nepali delegation emphasized the need to activate existing bilateral cooperation mechanisms and finalize pending drafts of letters of exchange.
The meeting was led by Buddha Bahadur Gurung, joint secretary at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, and Ujjwal Kumar Ghosh, joint secretary at the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
