Aug 24, Kathmandu- In this financial year 2078/79, only 2 trillion rupees worth of goods have been imported from China, while only 800 million rupees have been exported from Nepal.

Despite the closure of the Tatopani and Rasuwagadhi crossings between Nepal and China, the same amount of goods have been imported. In the month of Shrawan of the current financial year, equivalent imports worth 18 billion 76 crore rupees have been made, while equivalent exports worth six crore rupees have been made.

Carpets, handicrafts, ready-made clothes, leather pashmina, and other goods are exported from Nepal. Telecom materials, ready-made garments and fabrics, other masonry, electrical materials, computers, and parts have been imported from China. China has given Nepal the facility of customs exemption on more than 8000 products. However, according to the statistics of the department, only a small amount is exported.

Ashok Kumar Shrestha, president of the Himalayan Cross Border Chamber of Commerce, said that despite the customs exemption, the exports are less due to procedural hassles. He informed that the facility of customs exemption has been given for other goods, not for the goods to be exported. After the covid, there is no export of indigenous goods from the northern border. He said that exports are also reduced due to procedural difficulties. 98 percent of the goods exempted from customs duty are exported from Nepal.

According to the association, goods worth more than 8 billion rupees are imported every year through Tatopani and Rasuwagadhi border crossings in Nepal, but due to repeated disruptions at the border post-Covid, only 4 to 5 billion rupees worth of goods are imported annually. Others come to Nepal from India's Calcutta port through the same sea route. Naresh Katuwal, the former president of the Nepal National Business Association, said that even though the Kerung and Tatopani ports are blocked, goods from China are coming by sea.

The Chinese government has closed the Tatopani border crossing and the Rasuwagadhi crossing due to the increase in the rate of coronavirus infection in the Tibet region of China. Due to the closure, hundreds of containers have been stopped at the border of the good. According to businessmen, more than 400 containers carrying the same have been stopped at both checkpoints.

Narad Gautam, head of Tatopani dry port customs office, informed that the arrival of goods from China has stopped since August 10. Ram Mainali, head of customs at the Rasuwagadhi checkpoint, said that he was unaware of the opening and closing of the checkpoint. He said that since China has not given any information about stopping imports due to the coronavirus infection, goods worth billions are stuck in Chinese territory.

At the same time, the Nepali Consulate General in China has said that there is no possibility of opening the Chinese border immediately due to the increasing number of corona infections.

According to the office, government offices in Tibet are currently closed except for essential ones such as the health sector.