Nepal’s Foreign Trade Surges to Rs 226.14 Billion in Shrawan

Nepal recorded total foreign trade worth Rs 226.14 billion in the first month of the current fiscal year, according to monthly statistics released by the Department of Customs.

Of the total trade, imports accounted for 82.89 percent, while exports made up 17.11 percent.

Nepal imported goods worth Rs 187.44 billion in Shrawan, while exports stood at Rs 38.70 billion. Compared with the same month of the previous fiscal year, imports increased by 31.04 percent, while exports surged by 61.74 percent.

In Shrawan of the previous fiscal year, Nepal had imported goods worth Rs 143.04 billion and exported goods worth Rs 23.93 billion.

According to the Department of Customs, major imports during the month included crude soybean oil, diesel, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), diammonium hydrogen phosphate, petrol, iron and steel products, fertilizer-grade materials, smartphones, and crude sunflower oil.

Crude soybean oil was the largest import item, worth Rs 18.40 billion, followed by diesel at Rs 13.85 billion and LPG at Rs 8.47 billion.

Other major imports included diammonium hydrogen phosphate worth Rs 7.87 billion, petrol worth Rs 6.88 billion, iron and steel products worth Rs 4.62 billion, fertilizer-grade materials worth Rs 4.39 billion, smartphones worth Rs 3.88 billion, and crude sunflower oil worth Rs 3.58 billion.

Processed soybean oil remained Nepal’s leading export item, with exports worth Rs 17.99 billion during the month.

Other major export products included palm oil worth Rs 1.29 billion and sunflower oil worth Rs 1.21 billion.

The sharp growth in both imports and exports in the first month indicates a significant expansion in Nepal’s foreign trade compared with the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year.