NICCI, House of Rajkarnicar hold Nepal-India Food and Beverage Forum in Kathmandu

KATHMANDU: Nepal-India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NICCI) and the House of Rajkarnicar held Nepal-India Food and Beverage Forum in Kathmandu on Monday.

The event brought together stakeholders from Nepal’s food, beverage and hospitality sectors to explore deeper commercial ties. NICCI and the House of Rajkarnicar said the forum was held ahead of the Food and Beverage Hospitality 2026 exhibition, scheduled for September 11–13, 2026, at Girija Devi Sanskrit Sankul in Varanasi, India, and aims to introduce the international exhibition to Nepali businesses and encourage their participation in the Indian market.

Speaking at the opening session, NICCI Vice President Kunal Kayal emphasised the need to strengthen Nepal-India economic links through greater engagement in food, beverage and hospitality. He said such forums provide platforms for business networking, market expansion and cross-border partnerships with Indian stakeholders.

House of Rajkarnicar Chairperson Birendra Rajkarnicar outlined his organisation’s role in promoting trade and industry collaboration between the two countries. “Varanasi has more than 58,000 registered accommodation properties, and the tourism aspect there is huge. If we can get even 1% of that business in the food and hospitality sector, it will be huge for us. Our target is B2B for long-term collaboration,” Rajkarnicar said.

Rajan Sharma, General Secretary of NICCI, briefed participants on the objectives of the Nepal-India Trade Fair Exhibition, the business opportunities it offers, the challenges exhibitors should prepare for, and the potential benefits for Nepali enterprises taking part in the Varanasi event. “We always focus on 4As: Analyse, actor identification, activities, and action plan. As food and beverages are sensitive topics, we will collaborate with the Indian Embassy and the Banaras Hotel Association and other similar business organisations and government authorities for smoother documentation, letter of credit, logistics, and similar issues,” Sharma said.

The forum drew representatives from Nepal’s hotel, restaurant and catering industry, along with food and beverage manufacturers, hospitality businesses, entrepreneurs, exporters and distributors. Discussions centred on expanding bilateral trade, improving market access and building stronger commercial partnerships between the two countries.

NICCI said the forum reflects its ongoing efforts to facilitate dialogue between Nepali and Indian businesses and to promote trade, investment and economic cooperation across sectors.

READ ALSO:

• NICCI, House of Rajkarnicar sign MoU to promote Nepali participation in international trade exhibition in Varanasi
• NICCI welcomes monetary policy for FY 2026/27, calls for  investment-led reforms
• NICCI signs MoU with GITA to deepen Nepal-India trade, investment ties
• NICCI holds seminar on Nepal-India AI collaboration in Kathmandu
• NICCI welcomes Nepal-India ministers' meet, urges faster implementation of economic, infrastructure initiatives
• Budget reforms will not bring immediate economic transformation: NICCI