JHAPA, Aug. 3: Exports of Nepali tea to India through the eastern border point at Kakarvitta in Jhapa have declined. According to the Kakarvitta Customs Office, both the volume and value of tea exports declined in fiscal year (FY) 2025/26 compared to the previous fiscal year.
Customs Office statistics show that Nepal exported 13,045 metric tons of tea worth Rs. 3.53 billion to India in FY 2025/26, down from 15,311 metric tons worth Rs. 4.17 billion in FY 2024/25.
Lack of conservation area for rare tea plant
Along with the decline in export volume, tea export earnings also fell by Rs. 639.69 million. According to Chief Customs Administrator Shivlal Neupane, tea is the second-largest export commodity, after cardamom, shipped through the Kakarvitta border point.
Neupane said that, as India is the primary market for Nepali tea, exports have been affected by price fluctuations in the Indian market, non-tariff barriers related to quality testing, and changes in production and pricing driven by international market demand.
A significant portion of the CTC and orthodox tea produced in Nepal is exported to the Indian market via the Kakarvitta point. The decline in exports is expected to adversely affect tea farmers, industrialists and suppliers, while also widening the country's trade deficit.
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