US trade preferences should cover more products; capacity building needed to utilize them (Pahichan)

Mr. Purushottam Ojha, Former Secretary, Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies (MoICS), Government of Nepal, said Nepal’s Commerce Policy and Nepal Trade Integration Strategy, which have identified priority products, should be the basis for negotiating an extension to the trade preferences provided by the US.

The participants in the roundtable discussion called attention to the need for support in promoting Nepali products in the US through trade fairs, and expanding the product coverage of the NTPP if the latter is extended. They emphasized the need for the utilization of the capacity building and technical assistance component of the NTPP and the Nepal-US Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) to enhance the productive capacity of Nepali exporters.