KATHMANDU: Nepal’s total foreign trade has seen a significant surge in the current fiscal year, rising by 18.80% over the same period last year.
According to the Department of Customs, the country’s foreign trade in the first 11 months of the fiscal year has reached Rs. 1.892 trillion.
The data shows that imports rose by 13.15%, while exports surged by 77.77%, indicating a notable rebound in Nepal’s trade performance.
During the review period, Nepal imported goods worth Rs. 1.644 trillion, up from Rs. 1.453 trillion in the corresponding period last year. Similarly, exports increased from Rs. 139.26 billion last year to Rs. 247.57 billion this year.
Among imports, diesel topped the list, with purchases amounting to Rs. 115.55 billion by the end of mid-June. The second-highest import was crude soybean oil, valued at Rs. 95.72 billion, followed by petrol and LPG gas.
On the export side, soybean oil and related products dominated Nepal’s outbound trade. Nepal exported Rs. 93.51 billion worth of soybean oil and its derivatives during the period.
Other top exports included sunflower oil and seeds valued at Rs. 11.33 billion, and carpets and textiles worth Rs. 9.78 billion.
The department attributed the sharp increase in exports primarily to the high volume of soybean and sunflower oil exports, which were also mirrored by substantial imports of their raw materials.
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