Nepal imports paddy and rice worth over Rs 5.11 billion in a month

KATHMANDU, Feb 23: Nepal spent Rs 25.12 billion on paddy and rice imports in the first seven months of the current fiscal year, including Rs 5.11 billion in the last month alone.

Records from the Department of Customs (DoC) show that the country spent Rs 110 million more on paddy and rice imports between mid-July 2025 and mid-February 2026 compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year. The increase has been attributed to a decline in domestic production caused by erratic rainfall and landslides.

Related story

Nepal imported paddy, rice worth over Rs 33.6 billion in 11 mon...

Nepal has been experiencing the adverse impacts of climate change in recent years. During this year’s monsoon, irregular and inadequate rainfall severely affected paddy plantations in Koshi and Madhesh provinces. In addition, incessant rain on October 3–4 damaged crops that were ready for harvest. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD), large quantities of harvested paddy left in fields for sun-drying were damaged due to waterlogging and rainfall.

Government data show that paddy production is projected to reach 5,505,126 tonnes this year, down 4.20 percent from last year. Agriculture contributes around 24.16 percent to Nepal’s GDP, with paddy accounting for about 12 percent.

According to the DoC, imports of paddy declined to Rs 12.74 billion from Rs 14.51 billion during the review period. However, rice imports increased to Rs 12.36 billion from Rs 10.77 billion.

Basmati rice accounted for a significant share of the imports. Imports of basmati increased to 46,000 tonnes from 40,449 tonnes. In monetary terms, spending on basmati rice rose to Rs 5.12 billion from Rs 4.57 billion.

Despite the rise in rice imports, government revenue from these products declined. In the review period, paddy and rice imports generated Rs 1.77 billion in revenue, down from Rs 2.31 billion in the corresponding period last year. A DoC official said the decline was due to a revision of customs rates on these items.