Kathmandu, Nov. 25
Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Ramesh
Rijal said that the government would continue the process of implementing
reforms in the business and investment in the country in order to promote the
private sector and attract investment.
Speaking on the occasion of the 9th
Industry Day programme organised by the Ministry of Industry Commerce and
Supplies (MoICS) in the Capital on Saturday, he maintained that the Ministry is
serious about addressing the challenges faced by the private sector.
According to Minister Rijal, the policy reforms
implemented by the government would help in promoting private sector business.
Speaking at the programme, President of the Federation
of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Chandra Prasad Dhakal, said
that industrial development is the first condition to make a country
self-reliant, create employment and make the country prosperous through export
promotion.
But the national economy of Nepal is in a critical
juncture, industries are running below 30 per cent of their capacities and many
small and medium enterprises have been closed or are on the verge of being
collapsed, he said while demanding that procedural reforms are needed for the
development and promotion of domestic goods.
"As a good provision of a law is contradicted by
another law, many businesses and industries have not been able obtain the
facilities announced by them. In order to protect domestic industries, rules
and procedures should be reformed," said Dhakal.
According to him, high customs duty on raw materials
than the finished goods, poor infrastructure and industrial infrastructure had
detrimental impact on industrial development in Nepal.
President of the Confederation of Nepalese Industries
(CNI), Rajesh Kumar Agrawal, said that the policies are more favourable to
encouraging imports rather than promoting domestic industries.
"It is our demand that the government's policy
should be to increase domestic production and consumption, replace imports and
encourage exports," he said.
According to him, the CNI had suggested the government
to identify at least 10 products that have high potential in the country,
protect them and become completely self-sufficient in them.
He said that high cost of land has also been an
obstacle to industrial development in the country.
"More than 50 per cent of the total investment in
industry is required to be invested in land. In this situation, it is very
difficult to start a new industry. Despite continuous announcements, new
industrial areas have not been added for decades," he said.
According to him, doing business is very difficult,
and it is even worse in a country with unstable policies like Nepal.
Meanwhile, our Hile Correspondent in Dhankuta district
reported that the entrepreneurs in the district have complained that most of
the domestic industries in the hilly areas are on the verge of shutting down.
Speaking at a programme organised by Dhankuta Cottage and
Small Industries Office on the occasion of the Industry Day, they complained
that this problem has arisen because they are unable to compete with imported
goods and are far from access to technology and markets.
Dhaka cloth entrepreneur Rabija Limbu complained that her
product was sold well until a few years ago, but now it has stopped selling
because the cost is high and there are cheaper low-quality products available
in the market.
Similarly, entrepreneur Kashi Raj Niraula stated that
dairy entrepreneurs also have to abandon their occupation. He said that due to
the increase in the price of milk products, the product was stored in the
warehouse.
There is also a complaint that the condition of
agricultural entrepreneurs is also the same. Niraula said that unless there is
a sustainable market management, entrepreneurs will be in trouble.
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