Indian Commerce secretary Deepak Chatterjee was in Kathmandu this week to take part in the 11th meeting of the Committee on Economic Cooperation of SAARC. In an interview with Nepali Times, Chatterjee addressed some of Nepal's concerns on bilateral trade:

Birganj dry port: "It will be operational soon, as both the countries are in the final stage of concluding a railways agreement. Everything has been resolved except customs procedures.

Post-WTO trade scenario: "India will consider Nepal's concerns, but within the framework of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules. As a member of the working party on Nepal, we will fully support Nepal's accession to WTO. Nepal joining the WTO won't affect the bilateral trade treaty between Nepal and India as well as the proposed regional treaty like SAFTA."

Indian investment in Nepal: "More than political instability, prospective investors look at issues like tax structure, duty drawback, personnel and human resource development. And some of the problems faced by joint venture companies here don't send a good message."

Routing ghiu exports through India's central marketting: "Earlier they (Nepali exporters) were making a killing. You have to be satisfied with substantial profits, you can't always think you can make a killing."