It has already formed a high-level taskforce led by Chief Secretary Madhav Prasad Ghimire to promote the products and services that were identified about two months ago.
Speaking at an interaction on Nepal Trade Integration Strategy 2010 on Friday, Ghimire said though different products and services have export potential, the government is putting focus on 12 products and services to begin with. He also said time has come for us to get a strong hold of international market for our products without further delay.[break]
The interaction was organized to collect suggestions of businessmen and industrialists on the strategy.
The government has enlisted agricultural products like honey, tea, noodles, ginger and medicinal herbs as the products having export potentials. Similarly, it has identified handircraft products like handmade paper, silver jewelry, iron rod, pashmina and woolen products as potential products. Tourism, labor service, information technology and outsourcing, health service, education, engineering and hydroelectricity have been enlisted as services having export potentials.
Speaking at the interaction, entrepreneurs suggested the government to enlist woolen carpet and readymade garments - two of Nepal´s largest export commodities - in the list and bring programs to revive them. "The government shouldn´t ignore these two sectors that are among the largest employment generating sectors in the country," said Kiran Sakha, the former president of Garment Association of Nepal said.
The government has enlisted products like sugar, milk products, cement, electronic transformer and transit service between India and China as probable products and services.
"Though our major focus will be on promoting these 12 products and services, we will keep on adding other products and services after securing dependable international market," Commerce Secretary Purushottam Ojha said.
The government has prepared separate strategies for all 19 products and services for their international promotion. It has also identified strength and weaknesses of Nepali products and services and challenges that they might face in the international market.
"Despite becoming the member of World Trade Organisation (WTO), we had so far been failing to enlist our products and services having export potential," Kush Kumar Joshi, chairman of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said. Joshi suggested the government to provide all possible support for the promotion of the listed products and services in the international market.
Stating that the frequently changing government policy have been affecting industrial sector, participants of the interaction suggested the government to make sure that the enlisted products and services are not affected by such change.
President of Nepal Chamber of Commerce Surendra Bir Malakar said the country´s export was not picking up because the government is promoting import-friendly economy for more revenue generation.
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