However, total imports have increased by a meager 1.4 percent to Rs 186.38 billion. [break]
According to Trade and Export Promotion Center (TEPC), a total trade volume has expanded by 2.5 percent to touch Rs 219.22 billion during the review period in comparison with the amount recorded previous year.
During the first half of the current fiscal year that ends on January 14, yellow lentil, woolen carpet, readymade garment (RMG), polyester , cotton and other yarns, textile, iron and steel goods, handicrafts, silver ornaments, noodles, ginger and pashmina were the major export items.
Exports of iron and steels as well as their products has gone up by 9.5 percent to touch Rs 5.01 billion followed by yellow lentil that saw a whopping rise in export by 22.9 percent to reach Rs 2.75 billion.
The data also shows that the exports of polyester yarn and other yarns; and woolen carpet has increased by 22.2 percent and 16.5 percent to Rs 2.73 billion and Rs 2.37 billion respectively.
Exports of RMG -- which has been picking up gradually after long period of slowdown -- has also recorded a impressing 16.5 percent to reach Rs 2.04 billion during the period compared to the amount recorded during the corresponding period previous year.
Likewise on import front, imports of petroleum rose by 36.9 percent to reach Rs 29.56 billion during the period.
Similarly, imports of iron and steels as well as their products and, vehicles and their spare parts have gone up by a staggering 45.8 percent and nine percent to reach Rs 25.4 billion and Rs 13.78 billion respectively.
Imports of electric and electronic goods and pharmaceutical goods rose by 7.5 percent and 50.2 percent to Rs 9.77 billion and Rs 5.50 billion respectively during the period. However, imports of machinery and their parts -- one of the largest imported goods -- has dropped by 12.5 percent to Rs 12.23 billion.
Despite tight policy for gold imports and impressing rise in exports of carpet and RMG, the trade deficit during the period has recorded a negligible decline by 0.1 per cent to Rs 153.53 billion.
India, the USA, Bangladesh, Germany, Bhutan, France, Canada, Japan, Turkey, the UKD and Turkey remained the major trade partners of Nepal during the review period. India, the largest trading partners with share of over two-third of total trade of Nepal, exported goods to Nepal worth Rs 126.96 billion, up by 32.3 percent during the period compared to the amount recorded earlier year.
Similarly, Nepal exported goods worth Rs 20.99 billion which is 9.5 percent higher compared with the same period last year.
Top Five
Top five exports: Steel, iron products, yellow lentil, yearn, woolen carpet, garment
Top five imports: Petroleum products, steel, iron products vehicles and their parts, electric and electronic goods, pharmaceutical goods
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