YARSHA

CAPITAL TEMPERATURE CELSIUS

Kathmandu, 12 Aug, Monday morning temperature in the capital was

degrees 20 degrees Celsius.

Temperature in a stormy dayis expected to rise to 26 degrees Celsius.

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NEPAL-CHINA TRADE TALKS CONCLUDE MONDAY

Kathmandu, 12 Aug.: The two-day trade talks between officials of Nepal and China began here on Sunday, keeping focus on removing non-tariff barriers and development of trade infrastructures. Republica reports. Jibaraj Koirala, joint secretary at the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies (MoCS) and a deputy secretary general of General Office of Tibet Government of China are leading the delegation of their respective countries in the joint-secretary level 4th Nepal-China-Tibet Trade Facilitation Committee (NTTFC) meeting. “We held extensive discussion on hassles in bi-lateral trade and measures to be taken to resolve them,” Koirala told Republica after the meeting. A seven-member Chinese delegation is participating in the meeting. The third meeting of NTTFC was held in Lhasa of Tibet on July 4 and 5 last year. At the end of the meeting, Nepal and China signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that paved the way for export of Nepali citrus fruits -- oranges and sweet oranges -- to Tibet. According to Koirala, Nepal is requesting the Chinese delegation to open branch offices of Chinese banks in Nepal, simplify quarantine procedure for Nepali goods especially farm produces, recognize quality certification issued by Nepali lab for exportable goods, upgrade Tatopani-Kathmandu roads, and open additional dry port in Rasuwagadhi. “We covered wide range of issues in today´s talks. Chinese officials are very positive on our demands,” Koirala said. “We are hopeful of reaching to an understanding on removing the roadblocks in bi-lateral trade on Monday.” In the meeting, Chinese side sought Nepal´s cooperation in simplification of transactions in Chinese Yuan (Renminbi) in Nepal. Similarly, officials of both countries also held discussion on harmonization of time for movement of goods at customs points of both countries. Traders have been facing problems in clearance of goods through the customs point due to the difference in office hours between the two countries. “Besides, we also held discussion on measures to be taken to bring down trade deficit of Nepal with China which has been going up significantly over the past few years,” said Koirala. Nepal has failed to take optimum benefit from the zero tariff facility being provided by the world´s second largest economy for 7,787 Nepali products. According to Trade and Export Promotion Center (TEPC), Nepal´s exports to China increased by 137 percent to Rs 1.99 billion during the first 11 months of the current fiscal year while imports increased by 33 percent to Rs 63.13 billion. Nepal´s trade deficit with its second largest trade partner reached Rs 61 billion during the review period. Nepal had suffered trade deficit of around Rs 46 billion in the same period last year.

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YARSHA HIMALAYAN VIAGRA SUPPLY

DWINDLING

Kathmandu,  12 Aug : The availability of Yarchagumba found in the northern part of the district, has dwindled mainly due to excessive and premature harvesting. The caterpillar fungus, which is also known as the Himalayan Viagra, is found in the Makalu Barun National Park (MBNP) and the base of Mount Makalu at the altitude of 3,000 meter above the sea level, Bhim Dewan reports from Sankhuwasabha inRepublica. . Sedhuwa, Hatiya, Bung, and Yanlekharaka area of Kepm, Aasamasha, Thingjum, Khongma, Sankhuwashir and Khumading are places where the famous herbal aphrodisiac is found. Yubaraj Jimi, one of the Yarcha pickers, who had been Sankhuwashir to collect Yarchagumba, said the herb has diminished substantively over the years. According to Jimi, four hundred Yarchagumba pickers had gone to Sankhuwashir to collect the herb. But they could collect only 400 grams of Yarchagumba each on an average. Last year, they had collected 1.5 kilogram of Yarchagumba each on an average. “The number of Yarcha pickers has also gone down considerably,” said Binod Limbu, another Yarcha picker. “The amount of Yarcha collected did not even meet travelling expenses,” Limbu added. He also said that he would not go to collect Yarchagumaba next year. According to locals, Yarchagumba availability has declined as people haphazardly used hoe and other digging tools to collect the herb. Ideally, Yarchagumba should be picked by using hands. But Yarcha pickers tend to dig deep to pick even immature herbs. People tend to pick Yarchagumba found below the soil as they weigh more and look attractive. The decline in Yarchagumba availability has also affected revenue collection. Earlier, thousands of people participated in the annual rush. Last Year, the District Forest Office and MBNP had issued permission for export of 60 kg and 100 kg of Yarchagumaba respectively. According to MBNP, the quantity of Yarchagumba collected this year is half the quantity collected last year. The export tariff per kilogram of Yarchagumba has been fixed at Rs 10,000. The collectors from MBNP area have to pay Rs 1,000 per person to acquire permission for picking Yarchagumba.
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