Nepal requests support for enhancing productivity, quality

Nepal on Thursday requested the trading and development partners to support it in setting up quality laboratories and testing facilities in order to help the country meet and certify that its products meet international standards.
Commerce Secretary Lal Mani Joshi made such a request while speaking at the concluding session of Nepal´s trade policy review (TPR) at the head office of World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva.
According to a press release issued by the office of permanent mission in Geneva, Joshi emphasized that Nepal has accorded high priority to improve trade facilitation measures and taken concrete steps toward reducing transaction costs by simplifying the trade and transit related procedures. The TPR meeting of Nepal had begun from Tuesday.
During the TPR, a number of delegations from USA, Japan, India and China among others had raised a number of questions related to Nepal´s compliance with WTO commitments, trade and investments. "Joshi responded to those questions and thanked the WTO members for their appreciation of Nepal´s efforts in liberalizing trade and investment," reads the release.
Joshi, who highlighted Nepal´s efforts at promoting investments such as formation of high-level Investment Board, also expressed commitment that Nepal would continue its efforts to promote international trade by reforming investment regime. "We are trying our best to attract investment in infrastructure, particularly hydro-electricity and transport connectivity, and in other priority sectors such as tourism and agriculture," the release quoted Joshi as saying.
He also requested all the trading and development partners to enhance and scale up their support to Nepal in terms of market access and enhancing productivity.
As the Chair of the TPR body, Ambassador Eduardo Munoz of Colombia stated that the first-ever TPR of Nepal has given a better understanding of development in Nepal, particularly its trade and related policies and practices. Nepal joined WTO in 2004.