EU hands over food testing equipment worth 1.2 million Euro to Nepal govt

The European Union on Thursday handed over equipment worth 1.2 million euro to the Nepal government for facilitating laboratory testing and inspection of food products. The equipment was provided under the EU Funded 'Trade and Private Sector Development Project', according to a press release issued by the EU Nepal office.

Veronica Cody, EU Ambassador to Nepal, handed over the ownership of the equipment to the officials of the Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology and the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control, it said. The machines include a range of state-of-the-art laboratory testing and inspection devices for food products, cooking gas cylinders and taxi meters.

"The equipment and technical assistance provided by EU will help the Nepali government and private sector to ensure standards for food safety and security as well as standardizing measurements and calibration of other key products and services," the press release stated. This will raise domestic demand for products, as consumers are assured of quality and safety, and also allow Nepal to meet the standards required for export to the international market, thus contributing to increasing its trade and boosting the economy, it said.