Kathmandu, 29 Aug: Nepal has urged China to adopt facilitation and flexibility in customs administration for the export of beef, dairy products, vegetables, fruits and herbs to China.
The Chinese side has positively received Nepal’s request during a bilateral meeting between high-ranking officials of China’s Customs Administration and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock held in Kathmandu on Thursday. Nepal’s side was led by Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development Ramnath Adhikari, while the Chinese side was led by Vice Minister of Customs Administration Wang Lingjun.
In addition to the export of thermally processed beef and buffalo cartilage (crispy bones) from Nepal, the Ministry of Agriculture is pushing for the export of dairy products, especially ghee, butter, and buttermilk, to China. Similarly, Nepal has also raised the issue of exporting haylage silage and animal feed in the bilateral meeting. Nepal is capable of exporting chicken meat and claws, vegetables, fruits from the Suntan Valley, tea and coffee, and herbs and has also requested further facilitation for this.
Currently, 34 types of agricultural products are being exported from Nepal through 61 companies. Similarly, green grass hay is being exported to China through 5 companies.
Nepal has also proposed to China for the export of animal feed silage.
During the meeting, Wang, Vice Minister of Customs Administration of China, said that China attaches great importance to the issue of agricultural exports from Nepal.
Although such proposals have been coming from more than 100 countries, we have given importance to Nepal as a neighboring country and have taken forward our efforts, he said in the meeting. Our single efforts are not enough for trade facilitation, so it is not difficult and complicated with the joint efforts of both countries, we are ready to facilitate, said Deputy Minister Wang.
In the meeting, Agriculture Minister Adhikari had urged the Chinese side to adopt flexibility in some conditions for the export of oranges, including the process of declaring a pest-free zone as the basic condition for meat exports from Nepal, and to adopt flexibility in some conditions for the export of oranges. In the bilateral meeting, the Chinese side agreed to Nepal’s proposal to establish a joint structure between the two countries to facilitate the export of Nepal’s agricultural produce.
The meeting was attended by the secretaries Dr. Govinda Prasad Sharma, Dr. Deepak Kumar Kharal and joint secretaries from the ministry, while the Chinese team included officials from the Chinese Customs Administration.
