Suggestions jointly hammered out by Nepali and Indian businessmen to improve trade between Nepal and India were submitted to Indian Commerce Secretary Prabir Sengupta in New Delhi Monday, an announcement said.

The recommendations were made after India demanded revision in a bilateral treaty that gave Nepali exports duty free access to India expect some items like alcohol on what is called a negative list.

New Delhi charged Nepal of dumping goods like vegetable oil in India affecting Indian industries, a charge denied by Nepal. The treaty otherwise would have been automatically renewed after expiry in December.

A Nepali trade team headed by Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Purushottam Ojha is leaving for the Indian capital Thursday to thrash out the issue. The suggestions were finalized earlier this month by members of the Federation of the Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII).

Co-chairman of the Joint Economic Council of FNCCI and CII hotelier Prabhakar SJB Rana and other members submitted the proposals to Sengupta. The suggestions were earlier delivered to Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.