Kathmandu, April 11: Customs officials of Nepal and India have begun talks in Kathmandu with a focus on making trade between the two countries easier and simplified and on curbing illegal trade and revenue leakage.
The talks include topics as providing preliminary information related to export trade between the customs offices of the two countries in advance, implementing electronic cargo tracking system in freight containers carrying goods coming from third countries via India and exporting goods from Nepal to third countries via India.
Information Officer at the Department of Customs, Narayan Prasad Regmi, said discussions would be held on further strengthening the quality and quarantine checking system at the border points to test the quality of the imported and exported goods.
Discussions will also be held on the issue of recognition of certificates of origin issued electronically through the national one-door system implemented by Nepal, the completion of integrated check points under construction in Bhairahawa and Chandani-Dodhara within the targeted time frame, and on facilitating the quality certification work implemented by India for the export of Nepali products to India.
Director General of the Department of Customs Mahesh Bhattarai is leading the negotiating team from the Nepali side while Abhay Kumar Srivastava, Director General of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, is leading the Indian side in the talks that will be held on April 10 and 11.
Top officials from the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control, the Department of Livestock and Plant Quarantine, among others, are participating in the talks team on behalf Nepal.
Assistant Director General of Revenue Intelligence Directorate Lucknow Regional Unit, First Secretary at the Embassy of India in Nepal, Chiefs of Customs Offices of Kolkata, Patna and Lucknow, among other officials are also part of the Indian team. #nepal #india #trade
