International airlines move flayed

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Oct. 5: Nepal Freight Forwarders Association (NEFFA) and Nepal Association of Travel Agents (NATA) have opposed an unexpected and sudden decision of the international airlines to increase the amounts of the bank guarantee.

The international airlines take the bank guarantee amounts under airway bill stock and ticket stock from freight forwarders and travel agents respectively.

At a joint meeting held here today, the two associations asked the airlines to withdraw the decision regarding the rise of bank guarantee amounts soon. Recently, airlines increased the bank guarantee amounts for cargo agents from Rs. 1.2 million to Rs. 2 million and for the travel agents from Rs. 1 million to Rs. 2 million.

In a press release issued by NEFFA, the increase in the bank guarantee amounts has badly affected the freight forwarding business.

"At a time when the country’s foreign trade is facing slackness, the sudden rise of the bank guarantee amounts will be an additional setback for the trade," reads the press release.

Meanwhile, NEFFA hosted a reception in honour of the new executive body of NATA. At the reception, both the associations expressed their firm commitment to work together.

Speaking on the occasion, President of NEFFA Rabindra Man Singh emphasized the need for his association and NATA to give a boost to both the tourism industry as well as foreign trade.

Likewise, Joy Dewan, President of NATA, said that the two associations have to move ahead hand in hand for the promotion of tourism and foreign trade.

On the occasion, Bhola Bikram Thapa, immediate Past President of NATA, also spoke about the necessity of joint efforts for revitalizing the tourism industry and increasing the foreign trade of Nepal.

Nepal opens consul office in Cologne
Ram Pratap named consulate

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Oct. 5: Nepal has opened consul office in Cologne and Ram Pratap Thapa, who has been living in Germany for the last 25 years, has been appointed the Honorary Royal Nepalese Consulate in the capital of the Germany’s largest state, Northern Westphalia.

According to the Nepal-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the new Nepalese consul was introduced amidst a grand ceremony at the Cologne Zoological Garden on October 2 by Royal Nepalese Ambassador to Germany Balram Singh Malla.

The ceremony was attended by Angela Spizig, Mayor of Cologne, Ann-Katrin Bauknecht, Royal Nepalese Honorary Consul General and President of the Union of the Honorary Consuls in Berlin, Prof. Dr. Gunther Nogge, chairman of the German Chapter of the KMTNC as well as Director of the Zoo of the Cologne and Dr. Wolf Donner, immediate Past President of the German-Nepal Friendship Association in Cologne.

Speaking at the function Ambassador Malla said that the Consular is empowered with full power and authority by the HMG. "Besides looking after the interest of the Nepalese Community in Germany, the duty of the consul general would be to promote the economic interest of Nepal," he said.

While introducing her new colleague, Bauknecht thanked the government of Nepal for choosing Thapa for its new consul in Cologne.

Thapa was recently honored by the prestigious Order of Merit of Germany for his services to both the nations.

Prof. Dr. Gunther Nogge also expressed his full support for Thapa and recalled that Thapa has worked for the founding of the Germany Chapter of the KMTNC, like many other Nepalese Social Organisations, was also initiated by Thapa.

Research Scholar, Dr. Wolf Donner also expressed that Thapa had demonstrated his managerial skill in every organisation that he was associated with.

The introduction program was followed by a cultural show presented by Nepali artists as well as five Buddhists monks. The group was sponsored by Nepal Tourism Board and the Nepal-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Meanwhile, ‘Nepal Day’ was also celebrated in Berlin as part of the Himalayan Road Show to be held in Germany from September 28 to October 1. The main theme of the Road Show was to promote inward investment from Germany and to promote Nepalese tourism.

18,238 K.G.$ of cocoons produced under SRDP

Lalitpur (RSS): The farmers of Kathmandu, Kavrepalchowk, Dhading, Syangja, Palpa and Ilam districts produced 18,238.355 kilograms of cocoons under the Sericulture for Rural Development Programme (S.R.D.P.) last year.

The farmers of Kathmandu and Kavrepalchowk districts produced 5376.443 KGs, Chitwan and Dhading districts 5341.077 KGs, Ilam 6112.112 KGs. and Syangja and Palpa 1408.723 KGs of cocoons last year.

About 1,000 silkworm farmers of the six districts earned Rs 1.8 million from the sale of cocoons. silkworms eggs are produced within the country these days.

The Silkwork Development Office located at Khopasi of Kavrepalanchow district had produced 3,500 boxes of silkworms last year. One box contains 20,000 silkworm eggs.

Meanwhile 403,585 mulberry saplings were planted in Kathmandu and Kavrepalanchowk districts, 506,525 saplings in Chitwan and Dhading districts, 394,114 saplings in Ilam district and 320,529 saplings in Syangja and Palpa districts under the silkworm farm extension programme. The S.R.D.P. also trained 2,700 farmers on sericulture last year.

The 200 tonnes of silk thread produced last year does not even meet one per cent demand for silk thread in the country.

About 300 to 400 tonnes of silk thread is required for the carpet, readymade garment and pashmina factories in the country.