A subcommittee formed to study policy provisions on the import of betel nuts from the third countries has submitted its report to the Sustainable Development and Good Governance Committee (SDGGC) of the National Assembly amid a function on Friday.
The report would be discussed in the next meeting of the SDGGC and directions issued to the government stakeholders accordingly, said the subcommittee coordinator and lawmaker Ramesh Jung Rayamajhi. During the investigation, it was found that more betel nuts than the demand were imported.
He said that 25,000 metric tonnes of nuts were imported whereas 5,000 metric tonnes were demanded by gutka factories in Nepal. Although the SDGGC called the Director-General of the Department of Customs, some secretaries and the importers to discuss the matter in the meeting, they were absent, he said.
The government allowed the import of more betel nuts than the demand being influenced by importers, said the report. The imported betel nuts would be exported to neighboring India, he said.
Meanwhile, the SDGGC on Friday bade farewell to its President Tara Devi Bhatta and lawmakers, Dinanath Sharma, Kabita Bogati and Chakra Prasad Snehi who completed their term in the SDGGC.
