Kathmandu: Nepal’s total foreign trade reached Rs 19.41 trillion during the first 10 months of the current fiscal year 2082/83, reflecting continued growth in both imports and exports, according to data released by the Department of Customs.
The figures cover the period from Shrawan to the end of Baisakh and show that Nepal imported goods and services worth Rs 16.92 trillion during the review period. This marks an increase of 14.82 percent compared to the same period of the previous fiscal year, when imports stood at Rs 14.74 trillion.
Exports also recorded moderate growth. Nepal exported goods and services worth Rs 248.96 billion in the first 10 months of the fiscal year, up 14.25 percent from Rs 217.91 billion recorded during the same period last year.
Despite the rise in exports, the country’s trade imbalance continued to widen as imports remained overwhelmingly dominant in total trade.
According to the customs data, Nepal’s trade deficit expanded to Rs 14.43 trillion during the review period, an increase of 14.92 percent compared to the Rs 12.56 trillion deficit recorded a year earlier.
The data further show that imports accounted for 87.17 percent of Nepal’s total foreign trade, while exports made up only 12.82 percent. The export-to-import ratio stood at just 6.79 percent, underscoring the country’s continued dependence on foreign goods and its weak export base.
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