KATHMANDU, Sept 26: More than 1,000 trucks loaded with Dashain-targeted goods have been stuck at the Nepal-China border points due to the strict measures enforced by the Chinese authorities.
According to Nepal Himalaya Overseas Traders Association (NHOTA), the cargo trucks carrying outfits, electric goods and edibles such as apple and garlic have been waiting for their turns to enter Nepal. Since the spread of coronavirus last year, the Chinese authorities have been permitting only a limited number of Nepal-bound trucks to travel cross-border on a daily basis.
China’s harm’s way
Nepali traders have been using two border points - Tatopani-Khasa and Rasuwagadhi-Kerung - to trade with the northern neighbor. While movement through the Tatopani-Khasa route has completely come to a halt for the last three months, Chinese authorities have been allowing an average of up to nine cargo containers daily through the Rasuwagadhi-Kerung point. Ashok Kumar Shrestha, president of NHOTA, said traders have been unable to clear the imported goods that reached the border points months ago.
Due to the inability to transport the imported goods, buyers during Dashain, one of the main festivals of Hindus, could face a hike in prices of the festival items along with limiting their choices on the goods they wish to purchase, said the traders.
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