Customs officials from Nepal and India have begun discussions in Kathmandu, focusing on making foreign trade between the two countries more efficient and controlling illegal trade and revenue leakage.

The talks will cover various issues, including sharing preliminary information related to trade, implementing an electronic cargo tracking system for containers carrying goods transiting via India to Nepal or vice versa, and strengthening quality and quarantine checks at border posts, the Department of Customs said in a statement.

Narayan Prasad Regmi, information officer at the Department of Customs, said the discussions would also address issues such as India’s recognition of electronic certificates of origin issued through Nepal National Single Window and completing the construction of integrated check posts at Bhairahawa and Chandani-Dodhara within set timelines. Additionally, the talks will focus on easing India’s certification process for Nepali goods.

The two-day talks are led by Mahesh Bhattarai, director general of the Department of Customs of Nepal, and Abhai Kumar Srivastav, director general of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, India.

Senior officials from the Ministry of Finance; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies; Department of Food Technology and Quality Control; among others, are participating. India’s delegation includes officials from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence’s Lucknow regional unit, the first secretary of the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, and customs heads from Kolkata, Patna, and Lucknow.