Imports up by 175% more than previous year

By Indra Adhikari

KATHMANDU, Feb. 21: Imports in fiscal year 2001/02 were 175 per cent more than in the previous year, the Trade Promotion Center states in its annual report. The highest increase in imports was seen in copper scrap. The metal's import increased by 5,825 per cent over the previous year to reach Rs. 2 billion, from Rs. 39 million the previous year, the report says.

Other big imports were machinery for working plastic and rubber, which increased by 566.7 per cent over the previous year; electric conductors of 80-1000 volts by 855.9 per cent; primary cells and batteries by 613.7 per cent and electric apparatus for line telephony and telegraphy by 942 per cent.
In 2000/01, if machinery for plastic and rubber industries worth Rs. 20 million was imported, it increased to more than Rs. 127 million in 2001/02. In the same way electric conductors worth Rs. 246 million were imported in 2001/02, up from Rs. 25 million the previous year. Import of primary cells and batteries went up from Rs, 24 million to Rs. 171 million and electric apparatus for line telephony and telegraphy from Rs. 13 million to Rs. 139 million.

Imports of other commodities like refrigerators, telephones and cordless hand sets, synthetic acrylic and polyster fiber, plates, sheets, films, foil and polymer strips and plastics also increased. However, the import of a few commodities went down in 2001/02. Gold (unworked) import decreased by 90 per cent and unwrought silver by 23.2 per cent. In 2000/01, gold worth Rs. 5 billion was imported, but the following year, gold worth only Rs. 570 million was imported. Likewise the import of silver decreased to Rs. 423 million from Rs. 551 million in 2000/01.

Import of raw silk decreased by 68 per cent, down from Rs. 522 million in 2000/01 to Rs. 166 million in 2001/02. Import of combed wool decreased by 87.5 per cent, from Rs. 1 billion in 2000/01 to Rs. 245 million in 2001/02 while the import of greasy wool decreased by 42 per cent. In the same way import of photographic paper, paperboard and textiles decreased by 35 per cent from Rs. 140 million to Rs. 91 million.

Commercial fischeries in Rupatal Lake

RSS

POKHARA, Feb. 21 : Farmers around the Rupatal (lake) in Kaski district have chosen the way of generating income through commercial fisheries in an institutional way by protecting the disappearing lake.

They have established a Fisheries Cooperatives one and half year ago with the notion that the lake is theirs and they can develop themselves through its protection. There are 310 share holders so far starting with 36 members and a share amount of five thousand and registration fee of rs. 100 each.

They have made an income of Rs. 200,000 since october last year and have been selling Rs. 2,000 worth of fish each day at the rate of Rs. 80 per kg., said cooperatives chairman Lekhanath Dhakal.
There are Rahu, Naini, Bhyakur, Grass Carp, Common Carp, Silver Carp and big head types of fish fingerlings numbering 350,000 and a target is to put 600,000 fingerlings each year. Committee member Jagat Bahadur Gurung said the fisheries Research Centre, and the Agriculture Development Office Kaski had put fingerlings every year and the cooperatives has now been catching them. The cooperatives has six Malahas, three guards and one manager for caretaking, distribution of fishes and protection of the lake.

Fourteen families of traditional fishermen are in the group and have employed six persons. No fishing and boating is allowed except for the cooperatives group.

The lake had 135 hectares of area a decade ago but remains 115 hectares because of encroachment and landslide and is only five meters deep spreading in Lekhnath Municipality and some wards of Rupakot VDC. Although the grass growing in the lake has reduced the area of the lake it is not harmful for the fishes as they can feed on it.The Common Carp helps in the protection of the lake, said vice chairman Ram Chandra Nepali.Seven enclosures and 45 cages have been kept by the cooperatives and the Fisheries Research Centre and its number is increased each year. A 425-metre protection net has been put to stop the flowing away of fish in rainy season as rs. 1,000,000 worth of fish was wasted this way in previous years. The group has already spent Rs. 1,400,000 for infrastructure building of the cooperatives.

This is a first attempt and will inspires all to use more than 5,000 lakes in the country, said chief of the research center at Begnas Dr. Tek Bahadur Gurung. The centre last year sold 1,700,000 fish fingerlings. Local resources should be used and bio diversity protected for our prosperity, said senior scientist Dr. Suresh Kumar Wagle.

An interaction was also organised with the journalists and concerned specialists. At the function presided over by cooperatives chairman Lekhanath Dhakal, senior scientist Jayadev Bista discussed the works done by the cooperatives to protect the lake which was on the verge of disappearance.

Shree Gorkha's 100,00 Shares listed in NEPSE

By A Staff Reporter

KATHAMNDU: The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) has listed Shree Gorkha Finance Ltd. Kantipath for the transaction of its 100,000 equity shares equivalent to Rs 10000000/-. A memorandum of understanding between NEPSE and Shree Gorkha Finance was singed here today.

General Manager of the NEPSE Mukund Nath Dhungel and Hemraj Bhandary, general manager of the Shree Gorkha Finance Ltd. singed the agreement on behalf of their respective companies.
The company has been listed according to the Regulations of the Stock Transactions -2053 of the Stock Exchange Act 2040. According to the Stock Exchange, the transaction of the listed company should take place within seven days of the registration, the NEPSE press release says.

Action taken on traders

RSS

KATHMANDU: A market monitoring team under the convenorship of the Department of Commerce has, in course of carrying out surprise checks at various outlets selling construction materials and petrol pumps in Kathmandu valley Thursday, taken action against a construction material shop and a petrol pump.

According to the Department of Commerce, action has been taken against Puja Trading concern, a hardware store at Nakhkhu, Lalitpur, as the team, during the inspection, had found that the shop had sold underweight cement of different brands.

The inspection team has confiscated seven sacks of cement at the hardware store that were found to be underweight.Similarly, action was taken against an unnamed petrol pump as it was found during inspection that the nozzle for filling petrol had been doctored by breaking the seal fixed by the Bureau of Standards and metrology.

Nepal, China for agro cooperation

RSS

KATHMANDU: The Nepal-China Agriculture Joint Commission has agreed on bilateral cooperation in crop production and breeding, agro-processing technology and animal production and health cooperation and exchange of relevant technology.

The cooperation covers cash crops and food crops, so as to strengthen copmrehensive productivity, and the cooperation is aimed to increase the added value of agriculture and livestock products and farmers' income.According to the minutes of the first meeting of the Nepal-China Agriculture Joint Commission held in Beijing on Feb 11, the Chinese side plans to send a comprehensive agriculture study group to Nepal to have field study on crop production and animal production.

The Nepalese side will send a study group to China focusing on agriculture and livestock technology. The second meeting of the joint commission will be held in Nepal in 2005.