The visiting Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health and Population of Nepal, Amik Sherchan, placed the proposal during a meeting with Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain at a city hotel on Tuesday.

He said a Nepalese delegation would be sent to Bangladesh for preparatory work in this regard.

The Nepalese minister, now in Dhaka to attend the Health Ministers' Conference of Southeast Asia Region of WHO, discussed with the host minister ways of strengthening bilateral cooperation in various fields.

The health minister said even after meeting nearly 97 percent of local demand, Bangladesh is currently producing and supplying high-quality medicines, including raw materials to 67 countries following the guideline of the World Health Organisation and British and American standards.

Welcoming Nepal's initiative to undertake joint venture, Dr Mosharraf Hossain said, "SAARC could provide a big umbrella in strengthening cooperation among the regional countries."

He also emphasised enhancing regional cooperation for shared uplift, saying: "It is not possible for any of the countries to proceed towards development alone."

The Bangladesh minister commented that Nepalese authority could keep the prices of goods lower in their own country by transporting cargo through Mongla Seaport.

Referring to the water-sharing issue, Mosharraf also said Bangladesh has been trying to undertake an integrated initiative with India and Nepal to resolve the water-sharing problem.