Nepal-India Customs Officials Hold Talks to Ease Trade and Tackle Revenue Leakage

Customs officials from Nepal and India have begun a two-day meeting in Kathmandu aimed at facilitating trade between the two countries and curbing illegal trade and revenue leakage.

The talks focus on key areas such as exchanging information in advance on export shipments, implementing an electronic cargo tracking system for goods transiting through India to and from Nepal, and enhancing coordination between customs offices.

According to Narayan Prasad Regmi, Information Officer at the Department of Customs of Nepal, the two sides are also discussing measures to strengthen quality and quarantine inspections at border points to ensure the quality of both imported and exported goods.

Other issues on the agenda include India’s recognition of the Certificate of Origin issued electronically through Nepal’s National Single Window System, timely completion of integrated check points under construction at Bhairahawa and Chandani-Dodhara, and easing India’s quality certification process for Nepali exports.

The Nepali delegation is led by Mahesh Bhattarai, Director General of the Department of Customs, while Abhay Kumar Srivastava, Director General of India’s Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, is heading the Indian side.

Nepal’s team includes senior officials from the Ministries of Finance, Foreign Affairs, and Industry, Commerce and Supplies, as well as representatives from the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control and quarantine departments. The Indian team includes the Assistant Director General of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence’s Lucknow office, the First Secretary of the Indian Embassy in Nepal, and heads of the Kolkata, Patna, and Lucknow Customs Offices.

The two-day meeting will conclude Friday, April 11. -- RSS