KATHMANDU, Dec 26: Nepal imported mobile phone sets worth Rs 22.97 billion in the first five months of the current fiscal year, which was 10.37 percent more than the imports during the same period in the last fiscal year.

The records of the Department of Customs (DoC) show that the country spent the aforementioned amount to purchase 3.06 million units of the mobile phone sets from abroad during mid-July and mid-December this year. The government collected customs revenue worth Rs 3.63 billion out of the imports of the cell phones.

According to traders, the demand for smartphones in particular has increased mainly after the coronavirus hit the country in March 2020. Increase in ecommerce, online payments and online classes by academic institutions along with a fall in imports via illegal channels are the main causes behind an increase in registered imports. 

 
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