Where does Nepal stand among steel manufacturers?
Nepal manufactures only front-end steel products. Our steel sector is focused on serving the local demand with limited exports of GI pipes to India. It’s not fair to rank Nepal against countries that have core steel manufacturing capacity. From the local market point of view, Nepal’s steel manufacturing ability is quite good with several plants producing world-class steel structures. Is the government acting as a facilitator or is it creating hassles? The government is doing its best but is faced with severe constraints especially when it comes to security issues. What we can learn from international experience is that gradual lowering of duties is the way forward. The government also needs to generate a base basket of revenues to meet national demands. It is trying hard to balance the need for progress with the sheer essence of generating revenue. Do you plan to expand UTL’s phone services? We continue to evaluate options. Clearly there are opportunities as this is a fast moving secto
