March 20: Fruits of different varieties worth Rs 6.6 billion have been imported in the country in the first seven months of the current fiscal year (FY 2021/22).

According to the Department of Customs, fruits such as apples, oranges, lemons mangoes and grapes were imported in highest quantity during this period. Apples of various species constituted the highest import among the fruits at 38,359,133 kgs worth Rs 4.3 billion followed by oranges, the state-owned national news agency RSS reported citing the department.    
Apples were imported mostly from China (worth over Rs 3.2 billion), India (over Rs 1.1 billion) and Egypt (over Rs 2.6 million).    
Likewise, the country recorded import of 14,570,000 kg of oranges worth more than Rs 780 million during the same period, majority of them were from India (worth over Rs 770 million), South Africa (over Rs 9 million) and Egypt (over Rs 1.1 million).    
Although the budget announcement of FY 2020/21 claimed to make country self-sufficient in fruits within three years, Nepal still heavily relies on other countries for the supply of fruits.  Data of the department clearly shows that the import of fruits is skyrocketing in the recent years.    
Similarly, lemons make up the third highest import of Nepal among the fruits.  A total of 6,884,396 kg of lemons worth Rs 540 million were imported during the review period. Lemon farming has become a huge attraction among farmers in Nepal lately as it can fetch them good income. However, due to the short-supply of home-grown lemons, Nepal relies heavily on imports to meet the demand.

Agriculture experts estimate that farmers could fetch as much as Rs 1 million annually from lemon farming on 13 ropanis (1.63 acres) of land.    
Likewise, 9,574,534 kg of mangoes worth over Rs 450 million were imported from India, Thailand and Uganda from mid-July last year to mid-January this year. Similarly, 4,893,008 kg of grapes worth over Rs 450 million were imported from China, India and Egypt.    
Other fruits worth Rs 3 billion including pineapples from India, avocados from Uganda and Mexico, watermelons from India, pears from China, kiwis from India, pomegranates from India and various citrus fruits were also imported during the period, RSS reported citing the department.