Nepal to import 10, 000 cows from India to meet milk demand

Kathmandu, Dec 19: The

government plans to import 10,000

from

to overcome a shortage of

in the Himalayan nation, commerce secretary Madhav Prasad Regmi said on Tuesday.

Regmi said that he would raise the issue when he holds talks with his Indian counterpart during the inter-governmental committee meeting in Kathmandu on December 21.

"Nepal is currently facing a shortage of half a million litres of milk a day. To address the problem, we will request India to help in the matter," he said.

"The cows can be imported by the government and the private sector to improve the supply of milk", he said.

During the upcoming meeting, the commerce secretaries will also discuss measures aimed at facilitating bilateral trade, reducing customs duty and removing non-tariff barriers.

Nepal is currently facing a shortage of half a million litres of milk a day.

"We will also discusses about providing additional facilities to Nepalese goods imported through Kolkata port and early implementation of a proposal to make Visakhapatnam an alternate port (for imports)," Regmi said.

The inter-governmental committee will address problems faced by both sides and enhance cooperation in trade, transit and commerce, he said.

However, the Nepal side is yet to decide on what modality should be worked out to seek such support, either in grant or in loan.

In the meeting, both sides will be make concrete efforts to resolve outstanding issues pertaining to bilateral trade, transit and commerce.

The meeting of the Inter Governmental Committee (IGC) is the first high-level official exchange between India and Nepal after the Nov 19 Constituent Assembly elections and is taking place after a two-year hiatus. It will take stock of the entire gamut of bilateral trade and commerce-related issues.

OneIndia News

(With agency inputs)