KATHMANDU: The private sector, represented by the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI), has urged the government to establish quality standards for imported goods, arguing that these products are negatively impacting domestically manufactured goods. CNI President Rajesh Kumar Agrawal highlighted the issue, noting that while the government has set standards for only 1,150 goods and services, more than 5,000 goods are imported into the country. He emphasized the lack of a mechanism to assess the quality of imported goods, speaking at a CNI-organized event on Tuesday.
Since the fiscal year 2016/17, the government has initiated the certification of imported goods, making it compulsory for importers of certain goods to obtain quality certification. Additionally, last year, the government revised food safety standards, establishing safe limits for nine types of heavy metals in food items. Offenders under the Food Act face penalties such as fines of Rs 50,000 or imprisonment for up to five years, or both. Furthermore, importers and distributors of imported goods are now required to disclose their details, including names, addresses, and EXIM codes on product labels.
Despite these measures, the CNI observes a rise in the importation of substandard goods due to inadequate government mechanisms and monitoring systems. Agrawal stressed that the market is inundated with such goods, urging the government to pursue a mutual recognition agreement with India. While the government has maintained provisions in the current fiscal year's budget to prioritize the purchase of local products by government offices, even if they are up to 20 percent more expensive than imported goods, this plan has yet to be implemented.
Agrawal proposed the establishment of an integrated web portal featuring domestically produced goods to promote their production and marketing. He also called for the government's assistance in facilitating private sector operation of new industrial corridors under the public-private partnership model. Agrawal emphasized the need to address ambiguous clauses related to subsidies and other facilities for private sector production plants in industrial estates.
