Nepal and India holding trade facilitation talks

Aarthiknews

April 10, 2025, 2:20 p.m.

KATHMANDU, APRIL 10 : Customs officials from Nepal and India are holding bilateral talks in Kathmandu, focusing on simplifying trade procedures and curbing illegal trade and revenue leakage between the two countries.

Key agenda items include the exchange of preliminary export-related information between customs offices in advance, the implementation of an electronic cargo tracking system for containers carrying goods from third countries via India, and the facilitation of exports from Nepal to third countries through Indian transit routes.

Narayan Prasad Regmi, Information Officer at Nepal’s Department of Customs, stated that the discussions will also cover the enhancement of quality and quarantine inspection systems at border points to ensure proper testing of imported and exported goods.

Further topics of discussion include the mutual recognition of electronically issued certificates of origin through Nepal’s National Single Window system, the timely completion of Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) under construction in Bhairahawa and Chandani-Dodhara, and the streamlining of quality certification processes required by India for the export of Nepali products.

The Nepali delegation is being led by Mahesh Bhattarai, Director General of the Department of Customs, while the Indian delegation is headed by Abhay Kumar Srivastava, Director General of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence. The two-day talks are scheduled for April 10 and 11.

The Nepali team includes senior officials from the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Department of Food Technology and Quality Control, and the Department of Livestock and Plant Quarantine, among others.

The Indian delegation also comprises the Assistant Director General of the Revenue Intelligence Directorate’s Lucknow Regional Unit, the First Secretary of the Embassy of India in Nepal, and heads of the Customs Offices in Kolkata, Patna, and Lucknow, along with other senior officials.