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Trade With The USA By
SUNIL SAKYA The
USA as a major export trade partner exceeds US $200 million a year. So far, Nepal has
enjoyed a trade surplus, which is increasing to over 13 billion rupees. The US continues
to absorb almost 85% of Nepal's apparel exports and 22% of our woolen handmade carpets.
Nepal ranks fifth in US sources for carpets. Nepal's position in the US textile and
clothing import is fairly good, particularly in the low end. Unfortunately
Nepal is predicated to lose a huge market for its garments in the US after the end of MFA
(multi fiber agreement ) in Dec. 2004. This quota system will produce adjustment problems
for the Nepalese clothing sector. Previously Nepal has been able to retain the US market
under guaranteed market access through quotas applicable to other efficient countries. To
retain this position, Nepal needs GSP preference in the apparel sector. This would
indirectly compensate for Nepal's cost and delivery inefficiency, attributed to our
geographical disadvantage. A
seven member joint delegation, which included Mr. Purshotam Ojha, Joint Secretary,
Ministry of Industry Commerce and Supplies; Mr. Narendra Kumar Basnyat, Immediate Past
President NUSACCI; Mr. Kiran Saakha, President, Garment Association of Nepal, and Hon.
Secretary of NUSACCI; Mr. Uday Raj Pandey, Secretary General GAN; Mr. Narayan Bajaj, Chief
WTO Cell and executive member of NUSACCI; Mr. Chandra Lal Joshi, General Manager NPEDC;
and myself visited the USA from Jan. 11th to Jan. 22nd, 2003. Our main objective was to
lobby for Duty Free and Quota Free access to Nepalese Readymade Garment. With
the help of US Embassy NUSACCI attended a luncheon meeting hosted by the US Chamber of
Commerce and coordinated by Dr. Herbert Davies Executive, Director. The meeting was
attended by Senior Officials of various US Departments related to Trade, Commerce, and
Textile including Mr. Donald Camp, Deputy Secretary of State, Department of State; and Ms.
Carol Miller, Deputy Textile Negotiator; amongst others. We gave a power point
presentation on why Nepal needs Duty Free and Quota free access for Nepalese readymade
garments in US market, followed by a question and answer session. I
think we made a very good impact. However, without strong follow up in Washington from our
mission, this exercise will be futile. We need to empower our mission with improved
resources to be effective in lobbying for our cause. Unfortunately our Ambassador has been
in captivated because of his ill health and no one has replaced him so far. We strongly
urge His Majesty's Government to have a strong team in place as soon as possible. The
South Asian Regional Energy Coalition 9SAREC) of the US Chamber of Commerce in cooperation
with the Centre for International Private Enterprise held a two-day seminar on approaches
to effective energy policy advocacy to promote greater participation by the private sector
in the regional energy development. Mr. Narendra Basnyat, IPP of NUSACCI, and Dr. Sandip
Shah, executive member of NUSACCI, attended this seminar held at New Delhi in March. In
April NUSACCI organized a Talk Program on Intellectual Property Rights, with Professor
James P. Chandler, president of National Intellectual Property Law Institute, as our main
speaker. He urged the private sector and the government to introduce IPR in Nepal, which
would encourage FDI. The
NUSACCI and NBCCI have taken the initiative in collaboration with Indian, French,
and German Bi-national Chambers, along with their respective Ambassadors, to address
serious Security concerns. We have taken up the matter with the highest government
officials several times, and we are continuing to follow up. NUSACCI
and the US Embassy twice jointly announced the dates for Himalayan Expo 2003, a major
trade show, which unfortunately was cancelled for security reasons. The Chamber also
interacted with the Executive Director of AMCHAM India, Ramesh Bajpai, to host a trade
delegation of American investors doing business in India. We are tentatively looking at
February to host this delegation. Strengthening
of the Information and Documentation unit of NUSACCI is an ongoing process. There has been
the addition of few new publications, and the unit is regularly used by research students
and others interested in doing business with the US. Support
from the US Embassy Kathmandu continues as a key element in the Chamber's on-going efforts
to promote investment and trade between Nepal and the USA. I sincerely give our
appreciation and thanks to the US Embassy Kathmandu for their kind support. Annual
General Meeting is one of the few occasions when all the members get to interact. Please
give suggestions on how your Chamber can be more effective. In
closing, please consider this . Nepal is no longer the closed Kingdom it once was,
surrounded and cut off by its giant neighbors China and India. The current insurgency as
well as other problems are born out of poverty, corruption and poor governance. Each of us
can play a pivotal role in educating the world about Nepal, in raising awareness of our
issues, in reaching out to create our own new business opportunities. Commerce health and
wealth will pay for education for our children, medical availability for our people, and
numerous opportunities for all. Have
you done your market research? What new global alliance have you attempted from
information on the internet? We no longer need a showroom in New York for our product. The
world is literally at our fingertips - our keyboard. E-bay has shown us how a
multi-million dollar business can be run successfully on-line. Each of us can create such
an e-commerce business on-line to showcase and sell direct to the consumer our products,
services, and goods. Much
shopping in the west today in done on-line. We can place our products and services with an
already existing company on-line. For example, do you know that handmade Nepali bead
jewelry is sold regularly in the US on a TV marketing show called QVC? A former Peace
Corps Volunteer has organized Nepalese to make this jewelry. His wife is a guest on this
TV show and the jewelry is highlighted for an hour at a time on nation-wide TV. This
marketing program is on the air 24-hours a day, seven days a week. Thousands of pieces of
jewelry are sold in this way. When not on TV. The products are for purchase on-line at the
QVC web site where there is a picture and description of each item. Thomas
Paine once said during the early years and formation of America, "These are the times
that try men's souls." Let our trying times test us, and in so doing unite us, and
strengthen us. In his poem "Invictus" William Ernest Henley wrote. Out
of the night that covers me It
ends with this couplet . We
can throw off this black night that currently covers us; we are unconquerable. We are the
master of Nepal's soul, and through our business leadership, we can be the captain of her
fate and usher in a bright new future. |
Send your feedback to the
editor: spotligh@mos.com.np |
