Kathmandu, June 5: A discussion programme on the simplification of international trade was held the other day between the members of Nepal Freight Forwarders Association (NEFFA) and Royal Nepalese Ambassador to Switzerland as well as Nepal’s Permanent representative for the Geneva based United Nations and other international organisations.
On that occasion Ambassador and Nepal’s permanent representative, Dr. Sambhu Ram Simkhada opined that international trade plays an important role in order to be competitive in international market and emphasised the need to give priority in providing efficient service in view of the transportation charges becoming expensive for a land locked country like Nepal, a NEFFA release said.
NEEFA’s President Rabindra Man Singh apprised that NEFFA has been supporting Nepal’s export import trade and added that it has become very difficult to become competitive in international market due to transportation cost as Nepal has to face various problems for being a land locked country.
Singh also informed that NEFFA has been working closely with UNCTAD to make Nepalese products and services competitive in international market and added that the Nepalese businessmen should also think about the field of investments by which more benefits can be acquired.
He also informed that the freight forwarders have to face numerous problems while doing trade with the third countries because of the non-availability of Nepalese container trucks. He further emphasised that the private and His Majesty’s Government should work together to solve problems such as the theft of goods during transit through India, strikes at Indian ports and similar of others problems.
Although NEFFA is in the process of preparing a Standard Trading Conditions with a view to increased the professionalism of the freight forwarders, Singh requested Ambassador Simkhada to help NEFFA in becoming the member of International Federation of Freight Forwarders Association, Geneva, so that NEFFA will be able to acquire professional knowledge with regard to freight forwarding with the freight forwarders of the European countries complying the importance of freight forwarders in export/import trade.
President of Nepal Chamber of Commerce Rajesh Kaji Shrestha assured his cooperation to help NEFFA.
On that occasion Vice President of NEFFA Dhurba Narayan Shrestha gave vote of thanks. In the discussion programme those who attended included Deputy Director General, of Customs Madhav Prasad Ghimire, Director of Nepal Multi Modal and Transit Facilitation Project Puroshottam Ojha, President of Nepal Association of Travel Agents, Bhola Bikram Thapa and representatives from UNCTAD and NEFFA.
Ambassador Simkhada opined that it is His Majesty’s Government’s duty to make policies related to industry and commerce simpler and that His Majesty’s Government is working to make more easy and simpler. “As simplification plays a vital role to increase trade, we should have comprehensive knowledge with regard to the modules of transit and transportation of the developed nations,” he said. Saying that he was concerned from the very beginning to expand Nepal’s trade, he added “now my responsibilities have increased more because I am now Nepal’s permanent representatives to the UN and other bodies located in Geneva”.