June 27: The government has made it mandatory to put labels with clear details of importer and distributor on imported goods starting from July 17. A notice issued by the government mentions that items without such details cannot be sold.

The government made such an arrangement through the Finance Bill 2080. The Department of Customs said the goods that are found being sold and distributed without the details of the importer and distributor will be confiscated.

The department and its subordinate offices sent this notice to the importers recently. In a letter written by Dhan Bahadur Baruwal, chief customs officer of Birgunj Customs, to the Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry, traders are requested to comply with this rule.

Customs officials said that the government adopted such a policy to control the importation of low-quality goods. Ram Chandra Dhakal, Information Officer of Birgunj Customs, said that clear details of importer and distributor are made mandatory in order to protect the rights of consumers.

The department also said that the details of importers and distributors will be monitored.

However, the importers on the other hand say that the manufacturer does not bother to put such details on the goods sent to Nepal.

“There isn’t any system for the importers to label the imported goods which are already packed,” said Ganesh Lath, the outgoing president of Madhes Province chapter of the FNCCI. Traders also mentioned that some items cannot be labeled.

The importers claim that there is a problem in keeping such details on some items and parts brought for industrial purposes. They say that it is not possible to sell potatoes, onions and other vegetables, fruits and daily consumables. Traders suspect this new rule might be another means to extort money from them by the authorities.