Nepal spent Rs 65.49 billion on petroleum products in the first two months of fiscal year 2026/27, a 73 percent increase from Rs 37.86 billion recorded during the same period last fiscal year.
According to Department of Customs data, petroleum products accounted for 16.31 percent of Nepal’s total import bill of Rs 401.51 billion during the review period.
The country spent Rs 28.03 billion on diesel, Rs 16.13 billion on petrol, Rs 16.02 billion on cooking gas and Rs 5.22 billion on aviation fuel. In the corresponding period last fiscal year, imports of diesel, petrol, cooking gas and aviation fuel were valued at Rs 14.91 billion, Rs 10.58 billion, Rs 9.43 billion and Rs 2.85 billion, respectively.
Traders attributed the sharp rise in the petroleum import bill to higher international oil prices, an increase in the US dollar exchange rate and growth in the volume of petroleum products purchased.
Meanwhile, Nepal imported 425,000 mobile phones worth Rs 9.74 billion during the review period, compared with imports worth Rs 8.87 billion in the same period last year.
Other major import expenses included Rs 48.57 billion on crude edible oil and ghee, Rs 29.28 billion on vehicles and their parts, Rs 24.91 billion on fertilizers, Rs 24.91 billion on machinery and parts, and Rs 23.46 billion on iron and steel. Soybean oil alone accounted for Rs 38.05 billion.
India remained Nepal’s largest trading partner, with imports from India reaching Rs 221 billion and exports to the southern neighbour standing at Rs 65.44 billion. Imports from China amounted to Rs 76.40 billion, while exports to China stood at Rs 293.3 million.
Overall, Nepal’s imports increased by 31.58 percent during the first two months of FY 2026/27, while exports rose by 61.68 percent to Rs 76.58 billion. The trade deficit increased by 26.02 percent to Rs 324.93 billion.
