KATHMANDU: President of Nepal Chamber of Commerce Kamlesh Kumar Agrawal and Ambassador of South Africa to Nepal Anil Suklal held discussions on expanding bilateral trade, investment and private sector cooperation. During the meeting held at the Chamber building on Wednesday, they exchanged views on the possibilities of cooperation in infrastructure development, mines and minerals, energy, agro processing, information technology and tourism, among others.
On the occasion, Chamber President Agrawal said that direct business relations between the private sector, exchange of business delegations, market identification and joint investment should be given priority to strengthen the economic relations between Nepal and South Africa. He said that Nepali pashmina, tea, coffee, spices and handicraft products could be promoted in the South African market and there was ample possibility of cooperation in agro-processing, renewable energy and tourism sectors. He said that the exchange of information related to the quality of production, technical standards, customs duty and transportation cost would help in the expansion of trade.
Chairman Agrawal said that Nepal’s high-value agricultural products can be linked to South Africa’s experience in irrigation, cold storage and agro-processing. He said that joint projects in processing, packaging, storage and market management of agricultural products would also contribute to export promotion and employment generation.
He also stressed the need to identify opportunities for collaboration in renewable energy, energy storage, electricity transmission network and climate-resilient infrastructure development. He also pointed out the possibility of developing a joint tourism package linking Nepal’s Himalayan and cultural tourism with South Africa’s wildlife and safari tourism.
President Agrawal said that regular dialogue between the chamber, diplomatic missions and concerned government agencies is necessary to make the trade relations between Nepal and South Africa result-oriented. He said that cooperation can be taken forward through the formation of a joint working group comprising representatives of the private sector of both countries, the preparation of a list of priority goods and services and identification of potential investment projects.
Ambassador of South Africa Prof. Anil Suklal said that the private sector cooperation with Nepal could be taken forward in a practical manner and priority could be given to infrastructure development and mines and minerals sector.
Stating that South African companies have been working in the field of infrastructure construction and development in various international markets including the Middle East, Ambassador Suklal said that their experience could be useful in infrastructure projects in Nepal. Stating that South Africa has long experience and technical expertise in mining and mineral exploration, he said that cooperation could be done in identification, feasibility study and development of mineral resources available in Nepal.
Ambassador Suklal said that efforts are being made to identify areas of collaboration by involving industrialists and businessmen from different sectors in order to revitalize private sector business cooperation between India and South Africa. He said that this experience would also help in expanding business relations with Nepal.
They also stressed the need for making bilateral coordination effective in addressing barriers related to transport and transit, visa process, quality standards and investment approval in course of trade expansion.
Honorary Consul of Nepal to South Africa Pradip Lal Shrestha, Senior Vice President of Nepal Chamber of Commerce Deepak Kumar Malhotra and IT Committee Chairman Bigyan Shrestha were also present on the occasion.
