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Private Sector Gives Mixed Reaction to Mid-Year Review of Monetary Policy

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Private Sector Gives Mixed Reaction to Mid-Year Review of Monetary Policy
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February 20: The private sector has given mixed reaction to the mid-year review of monetary policy for the current fiscal year. The private sector has welcomed the central bank’s announcement to provide subsidized loan to the productive sector. However, the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) has expressed concern that the overall policy arrangements would likely affect the economic activities which have been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic and is struggling to recover from its impacts.

The FNCCI has concluded that the central bank’s decision to increase the interest rates, tighten the loan flow and restrict imports of certain goods is likely to directly impact the overall economic activities. FNCCI said that the revised provisions would most likely affect medium and small-scale industries.

“The central bank had announced refinancing for the businesses affected by the pandemic. But the increase in interest rate for refinancing is certain to affect the small and middle-scale industries,” FNCCI said in a statement on Friday, adding, “Although the concessional loan to the productive sector would help assist in industrialisation, the overall trade, business and investment would be affected as most of the recommendations of the private sector have not addressed.”

The FNCCI has drawn attention of the central bank towards adverse impacts on production, price hike, revenue collection and employment generation as the review of monetary policy was focused on reduction of imports.   

Likewise, FNCCI said deposit collection has not increased despite increase in interest rate on deposit. Due to this, the monetary policy is focused on increasing interest on loan which is likely to increase the production cost and cause further burden to the business enterprises as well as BFIs. 

Meanwhile, the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) has said that central bank’s decision to increase the bank rate by two percentage points is likely to cause further problems to the banks. The CNI said that such decision would increase the interest on investment, cause price hike and that in turn would make the economy more fragile.

The CNI further said that some of the revised provisions of the monetary policy would not help in  easing the liquidity crisis faced by the market.

 

 

 

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