Minister for Industry, Som
Prasad Pandey, Thursday said that the government was ready to collaborate with
the private sector in export promotion.
Addressing the seventh Annual
General Assembly of Felt Industries Association of Nepal (FIAN), Minister
Pandey urged the business community to move ahead with new thinking and
strategy, and promished that the government would facilitate them in developing
the value chain.
“Import substitution is our
primary goal therfore the government would facilitate in the development of the
value chain,” he said. “This is not the time to lament or complain about the
past activities, we should move ahead with new strategy. The government is
fully committed for the improvement of business environment in the country.”
Federation of Nepalese Chambers
of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) president Pashupati Murarka criticized the
government for its cold response to removing the barriers in doing business.
“The government should not do
much for the private sector because private businesses are capable of growing on
their own. Instead of creating hurdles for businesses it should play a
facilitating role,” he said.
He said that the political
instability was the greatest hindrance to the development of investment
environment.
Naresh Lal Shrestha, newly
elected president of FIAN, demanded that the government should establish a lab
of international standard, training centre to create skilled human resources
for the felt industries, separate labour act for the felt industry sector, and
facilitate the companies in participating in various interntaional trade fairs.
“The government has set same
wage scale for the large scale industries and small or cottage enterprises like
felt industry which is not just. Therefore, I request to the government to
review the wage system and set different standard for the felt industries,” he
said.
He informed that the Nepalese
felt products were exported to more than 30 countreis including European
countreis, Japan , Canada , America
and Australia .
Products like Shoes, carpet,
purse, bag and dolls are created our of felt. The felt industries in Nepal
have employed about 50,000 individuals.
According to Ishwori Prasad
Ghimire, executive director of Trade and Export Promotion Centre, felt products
worth more than Rs. 1 billion exported to various countries last year.
“Felt industry is women friendly
industry therfore the government should take initiation to develop it,” said
Sharada Rijal, founder president of FIAN.
Commerce secretary Naindra
Prasad Upadhyaya said that the felt industry was a promishing sector in Nepal .
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