February 26: Import and export of main agricultural products to and from Nepal have both declined.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, the import of agricultural products decreased by 43 percent in the first six months of the current fiscal year. The import of agricultural produce declined because India tightened the export of agricultural produce. Another reason is that the domestic production of some items have increased.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Prakash Kumar Sanjel, said that both import and export of agricultural products have decreased. Although the ministry has not done a separate study on the reasons for the large-scale decrease in imports, he claimed that imports decreased due to India's tightening of export of agricultural products and increase in domestic production of some items compared to the past.

According to the data provided by the Ministry, the import of paddy/rice and maize decreased while the import of wheat decreased the most. According to Sanjel, India's ban on wheat export directly affected Nepal's imports. Due to the Russia-Ukraine tension, India banned the export of wheat on the assumption that there will be a shortage of wheat in its own country.

Similarly, the import of bananas and potatoes also decreased. While the import of other agricultural products is decreasing, the import of onion on the other hand has increased. From last July to January, import of apple among fresh fruits decreased whereas the import of orange seems to have increased. The data shows that the import of sunflower, soybean and palm oil decreased as well.

According to the data, exports of coffee, ghee, sunflower oil, soybean oil have decreased while the exports of ginger, fresh vegetables and cardamom have increased to some extent.