China has agreed to facilitate the export of agricultural products from Nepal following talks held in Kathmandu on Wednesday. Such agricultural products include buffalo meat, dairy goods, vegetables, fruits, and medicinal herbs.
During the meeting between Nepal’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development and China’s General Administration of Customs, the Nepali side urged Beijing to adopt greater flexibility in customs procedures to ease trade.
Agriculture Minister Ramnath Adhikari, who led the Nepali delegation, emphasised the country’s interest in exporting thermal-processed buffalo meat, buffalo cartilage, ghee, butter, cream, chhurpi (traditional hardened cheese), as well as poultry products, citrus fruits, tea, coffee, and animal feed such as haylage and silage.
Currently, 34 types of agricultural products are exported from Nepal to China through 61 companies, with haylage already being shipped by five Nepali firms. Nepal is now seeking approval to expand these exports, particularly in livestock feed and citrus fruits.
Chinese Vice Minister of Customs Wang Lingjun responded positively, saying Beijing, as a neighbour, attaches high importance to agricultural trade with Nepal.
Minister Adhikari also assured the Chinese side that Nepal is working to meet Beijing’s quarantine and sanitary requirements, including setting up disease-free zones for meat exports. He further requested flexibility regarding conditions for citrus exports.
Significantly, China agreed to Nepal’s proposal to establish a joint mechanism to oversee and facilitate agricultural trade.
Officials from both countries’ agriculture and customs agencies attended the talks, marking a step forward in strengthening bilateral economic cooperation.
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli will visit China on Saturday. A Cabinet meeting was held on Friday morning ahead of PM Oli’s China visit. Oli will attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit from August 30 to September 3. On the same evening of his arrival, he will hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
