KATHMANDU, July 28: Nepal imported agriculture products worth Rs 378.60 billion in 2021/22, which was Rs 55 billion more than the import expenses on the headings of the previous year.

The records with the Department of Customs (DoC) show that Nepal imported agricultural goods of Rs 323.66 billion in 2020/21. This means Nepal spent 17 percent more in the review period to purchase the farm products.

According to the DoC, the import bills of agricultural products have been rising year-on-year. Nepal imported agricultural products worth Rs 243 billion in 2019/20, which was 8.48 percent more compared to the import expenses in the segment in the previous fiscal year. In the fiscal year 2015/16, the country’s spending on imported agro products stood at Rs 150 billion.

Last year, the import expense on food grains was Rs 74.28 billion. Of the amount, Nepal spent Rs 47.57 billion to import rice and Rs 19.65 billion to import corn. Likewise, the country’s expenditure on imported vegetables was Rs 36.54 billion while it was around Rs 25 billion on imported fruits. The expenditure on tea and coffee was Rs 9.04 billion and dairy products was Rs 2.15 billion.

Overall, the share of expenses on agricultural goods was 19.71 percent of the total imports of Rs 1.920 trillion in 2021/22. Similarly, the country exported agro products worth Rs 125.51 billion, which makes 63 percent of its export earnings during the review period.

 
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