KATHMANDU: A total of 50 containers of dates have been stranded at the Birgunj Dry Port after the government on April 29 had banned the import of dates, pepper, peas and betel nuts, citing increasing pressure on foreign exchange reserves.

The dates have been started rotting because they have been held at the customs points for a long time.

Similarly, 1,000 containers of peas, pepper and betel nuts, were stopped at various entry points because they were imported without the prior approval of the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control.

A cabinet meeting held on August 29 had decided to allow the entry of peas and pepper for once. Earlier, the cabinet had also decided to release the betel nuts stopped at the checkpoints.