According to the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), the country’s Balance of Payments (BOP) surplus stood at Rs 40.90 billion in the first month of the current fiscal year (2081/082 BS), up from Rs 36.43 billion during the same period last year. In U.S. dollar terms, the surplus was $305.1 million, compared to $276.3 million in the previous year.
The current account also showed improvement, with a surplus of Rs 30.89 billion, compared to Rs 13.37 billion last year. Net capital transfers reached Rs 223.2 million, while foreign direct investment inflows totaled Rs 799.8 million in the same period.
Despite these positive indicators, merchandise exports declined by 9.6% to Rs 12.23 billion, following an 8.7% drop last year. Exports to India, China, and other countries decreased by 10.6%, 59.8%, and 3.5%, respectively. While exports of items like particle board and tea increased, categories such as cardamom and readymade garments saw declines.
Merchandise imports also fell slightly by 0.6% to Rs 128.38 billion. Imports from India decreased by 4.4%, while imports from China rose by 12.0%. As a result, the trade deficit grew by 0.4% to Rs 116.15 billion, and the export-import ratio declined to 9.5% from 10.5% in the same period last year.
These trends reflect ongoing challenges in the trade sector, even as the overall financial position shows improvement.
