Just Make It
THERE could be something wrong with the way
export promotion is being handled in Nepal, if time and again government officials and
exporters continue to harp on this theme: Nepal needs a long-term export promotion plan,
policy and strategies. When speakers stressed on the formulation of such an
all-encompassing paper at a discussion programme Monday, it was for the umpteenth time
that such an emphasis was being made at a public discussion forum. To a lay observer, it
comes as a great surprise that for all the rhetorics and homilies flying around on the
need to promote exports in order to strengthen Nepalese economy, one of the most
fundamental exercises in this regard had not been done. How’s exports promotion
expected to occur satisfactorily if this sector is not even equipped with a long-term
export promotion plan? Given all the pronouncements from officialdom on the
indispensability of encouraging exports for its benefits in narrowing down trade deficit,
creating employment opportunities and so on, it is strange that mere talks on formulating
an export promotion continue vigorously all the time.
Export promotion mandarins are not exhibiting
sterling performance, if they only talk about it, and the process to formulate a strategy
takes forever. Apparently, there is a process now underway to put together an export
promotion plan and strategies—finally. It was to hold a debate on a working paper on
the theme that a discussion programme was organised by Export Promotion Committee and a
private research group on Monday. Judging from the participants’ views during the
interaction, there is a multitude of issues that need to be considered by the formulation
team in order to make the long-term plan comprehensive. Though suggestions like
constructing a separate airport for cargo may not find its way into the priority list
immediately, other recommendations like formation of an autonomous export promotion body
with representation of the private sector may be worth considering. In discussing this,
however, it must first be established why the present governmental export promotion
support mechanism is unworkable. Evidently, suggestions like the need to produce quality
goods and services as per the demand of the international market cannot be faulted with.
The task before Nepal’s exports promoters now is to talk less about the need to
formulate export promotion plan, and do more about actually making it without further
procrastination. In short, just make it.
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