Archive · 18 Sep 2026
India and Nepal Review Trade, Customs and Transit Bottlenecks
India and Nepal held a two-day meeting about making trade between their countries easier.
The meeting took place in New Delhi on September 16 and 17, 2026.
Officials discussed products such as farm goods, dairy, food, medicines and medical devices.
They also talked about checking goods and documents more quickly at customs.
This could include sharing information before shipments arrive and using electronic certificates.
The countries reviewed roads, railways, border posts and other trade facilities.
They want to reduce delays while still making sure businesses follow the rules.
They also want to stop unauthorised trade, fraud and misuse of special trade benefits.
India and Nepal held a two-day inter-governmental meeting in New Delhi on September 16-17, 2026.
Officials discussed expanding market access for agricultural, dairy, food, pharmaceutical, medical-device and AYUSH products.
Both sides reviewed customs measures including pre-arrival information exchange, electronic origin certificates, automation and digitalisation.
The countries examined rail and road links, freight movement, Integrated Check Posts and land-port infrastructure.
They sought to ease trade bottlenecks, support legitimate commerce and prevent unauthorised trade, fraud and misuse of preferential arrangements.
- Who
- Government officials from India and Nepal, led by Ujjwal Kumar Ghosh and Buddha Bahadur Gurung.
- What
- The India-Nepal Inter-Governmental Sub-Committee reviewed trade access, customs cooperation, transit, connectivity and measures against unauthorised trade.
- When
- September 16-17, 2026.
- Where
- Vanijya Bhawan in New Delhi, India.
- Why
- To facilitate legitimate bilateral and transit trade, address operational bottlenecks, improve connectivity and strengthen compliance.
- Meeting
- India-Nepal Inter-Governmental Sub-Committee on Trade, Transit and Cooperation to Control Unauthorised Trade
- Duration
- Two days, September 16-17, 2026
- Market access
- Agricultural and dairy products, food items, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and AYUSH products
- Customs measures
- Pre-arrival information exchange, electronic verification of Certificates of Origin, customs automation and digitalisation
- Connectivity
- Rail and road links, freight movement, Integrated Check Posts and land-port infrastructure
- Trade trend
- Bilateral merchandise trade declined from about $11.02 billion in FY22 to $7.87 billion in FY24, then recovered to $9.39 billion in FY26
- Trade balance
- In FY26, India exported $7.45 billion to Nepal, while Nepal exported $1.94 billion to India
- Additional cooperation
- Standards, food safety, plant quarantine, conformity assessment and capacity-building