Lawmaker Urges Diplomatic Action as Indian Tariffs Batter Nepali Jute

Lawmaker Nisha Dangi of the Rastriya Swatantra Party has called on the government to initiate urgent diplomatic dialogue with India, warning that New Delhi's tariff policies have pushed Nepal's domestic jute manufacturing sector to the brink of collapse.

Speaking during Tuesday's session of the House of Representatives, Dangi stated that higher anti-dumping duties alongside an ongoing countervailing duty investigation by Indian authorities are squeezing Nepali exporters, according to reports from Onlinekhabar and Setopati. She argued that these trade remedy measures prevent finished goods from entering their primary export market on fair terms.

Dangi warned that if domestic factories are forced to shut down, thousands of industrial workers could lose their livelihoods. The disruption would also reverberate through the agricultural supply chain, leaving raw jute growers across the Tarai without buyers for their harvest and forcing them to discard crops, as reported by Onlinekhabar English.

The lawmaker also questioned the state's broader industrial approach, pointing out a contradiction in official priorities. While acknowledging the government's attempts to revive the long-shuttered Biratnagar Jute Mill, she said it was counterproductive to concentrate resources on defunct public enterprises while neglecting factories that are currently functional.

"The government should not limit its focus to reopening closed factories; it must formulate a sustainable industrial policy that can preserve the industries currently in operation," Dangi said in parliament, as reported by Baahrakhari.

Dangi urged authorities to accelerate industrial support measures under the framework of the Industrial Enterprise Act, 2076 B.S., and called for diplomatic and commercial talks with New Delhi to secure unhindered entry for Nepali jute products.