Nepal imported food grains worth Rs 47.8 billion in the first nine months of the current fiscal year 2024/25, while exports amounted to just Rs 62 million, resulting in a staggering trade deficit of Rs 47.7 billion in this category, according to Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development Ram Nath Adhikari.
Speaking in the House of Representatives on Monday, Minister Adhikari shared further figures that underline Nepal’s reliance on agricultural imports. Vegetable imports reached Rs 31.52 billion against exports of just Rs 408.2 million. In the fruit category, imports stood at Rs 18.2 billion, while exports were only Rs 17 million.
Despite the widening trade gap, Minister Adhikari noted that preliminary estimates indicate a normal increase in the production of all major crops in the current fiscal year. He also reported that 1.56 million saplings and seedlings had been sold and distributed by mid-April.
The government aims to provide vegetable and fruit saplings to 500,000 source nurseries and centres by the end of the fiscal year. The remaining target is expected to be achieved during the months of Jestha (mid-May to mid-June) and Ashar (mid-June to mid-July).
Minister Adhikari also mentioned that Nepal primarily imports fruits such as apples, walnuts, mangoes, grapes, coconuts, and pomegranates from India and China.
