Rastriya Samachar Samiti

Birgunj, February 2

Export of vegetable ghee to India has decreased due to quantitative restrictions imposed by the Nepal-India trade treaty.

Export of ghee from Birgunj Custom Office has decreased by over Rs 780 million this year compared to last year, according to the Birgunj Custom Office.

Vegetable ghee worth Rs 2.78 billion was exported to India through the Birgunj custom point in 2002, while export of ghee was worth two billion rupees this

year. More than 60 per cent of the vegetable ghee is exported through Birgunj. About 20,000 metric tonnes of ghee has been exported so far. The secretary-level meeting of Nepal and India held in Kathmandu recently has decided to extend the duration for exporting ghee to India by three more months.

The Indian government has imposed various taxes on the export items from Nepal, making it difficult for Nepali exports to compete with Indian goods, Umesh Chandra Thakur, vice-chairman of Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) said.