Qatari envoy pledges support to enhance Nepal's trade

Kathmandu, Oct. 3: Qatari Ambassador to Nepal Yousuf Bin Mohammad Al-Hail on Wednesday said that he would support Nepal in decreasing the trade deficit with his country.

“I will support Nepal in its endeavour to reduce trade deficit with Qatar,” he said while speaking at an interaction organised by Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC).

Nepal exported goods worth of Rs. 10 million to Qatar in 2016 while the size of import was Rs. 312 million. However, the size of trade between the two countries is decreasing significantly over the years.

Nepal exported goods equivalent of Rs. 74 million in 2013 and imported goods of Rs. 190 million.

According to the Trade and Export Promotion Centre (TEPC), Nepal’s major export items to Qatar are pasta, carpets, spaghetti, noodles and tea, and import items include polymers of ethylene, oil from petrol and bituminous minerals.

According to Al-Hail, more than 400,000 Nepalis are working in Qatar and sending Rs. 200 billion remittance back to Nepal thus supporting the economy.

“With five flights of Qatar Airways to Nepal per day there is a good connectivity situation. We are working to sign agricultural and investment protection agreements in the near future,” he said.

President of NCC Rajesh Kazi Shrestha said that there were possibilities of cooperation between the two countries in trade, tourism, agriculture and human resource.

Pointing towards the need to create trade balance between Nepal-Qatar, he said that Qatari investment in Nepal’s agriculture, tourism and manufacturing should be increased.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 4 October 2018.