In order to receive international recognition with its registration in the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (UNESCAP), the Nepalese government has registered the Inter-governmental Agreement on Dry Ports (IADP) in the country’s Parliament for ratification, says a report.
Mr Kedar Bahadur Adhikari, Secretary of Commerce and Supplies, said that after the agreement is ratified by the Parliament, Nepal’s dry ports will be listed in the international map and large international companies will be encouraged to establish their office in the country, thereby facilitating third-country trade.
Once Nepal gets the membership of the IADP, the country will be able to directly receive cargo through its inland clearance depots (ICDs). He said this will strengthen connectivity and seamless international movement of goods, facilitate increased efficiency and reduce the cost of transport and logistics as well as extend reach to inland areas and wider hinterlands.
The IADP aims to promote ‘international recognition of dry ports, facilitate investment in dry port infrastructure, improve operational efficiency and enhance the environmental sustainability of transport’.
Once the Nepalese Parliament ratifies the agreement, five dry ports of the country, namely, Bhairahawa ICD, Biratnagar ICD, Birgunj ICD, Kakarbhitta ICD and Tatopani ICD, will be recognised as international dry ports of Nepal and will appear in the global shipping map.
After the ratification, Nepal’s cargo will have access to the dry ports of 25 countries, including India, and will have transport connections with more than 150 dry ports, border ports/Land Customs Stations, integrated check posts, seaports, inland waterway terminals and airports of the countries, the report said.
