Cereals import drops by 45% in first quarter of FY 2022/23

Kathmandu / Nov. 13: The import of cereals has decreased by 45 per cent during the first three months of the current fiscal year 2022/23.

According to the trade statistics of the Department of Customs, the country imported cereals worth around Rs. 9.60 billion during the first three months of the current fiscal year 2022/23.

During the review period, rice and paddy worth Rs. 5.60 billion, wheat worth Rs. 48.3 million and maize worth Rs. 3.40 billion were imported.

Similarly, barley worth Rs. 6.5 million, buckwheat worth Rs. 1.9 million and millet worth Rs. 11.3 million have been imported during the review period.

Cereals worth Rs. 17.50 billion were imported during the first three months of last fiscal year 2021/22.

Paddy and rice worth Rs. 10.51 billion, maize worth Rs. 5.64 billion, wheat worth Rs. 1.31 billion, millet worth Rs. 7 million and barley worth Rs. 9.4 million were imported during the first three months of the last fiscal year 2021/22.

The country has been spending billions of rupees for the import of cereals to meet the domestic consumption.

In the last fiscal year 2021/22, the country imported paddy and rice worth Rs. 47.57 billion, maize worth Rs. 19.64 billion and wheat worth Rs. 6.32 billion.

Vegetables worth Rs. 5 billion imported

In the meantime, Nepal, an agricultural country, has imported vegetables worth above Rs. 4.93 billion in the first three months of the current fiscal year.

According to the statistics, vegetables of the same value entered Nepal in the period from mid-July 2021 to mid-October 2022.

The import of vegetables had declined by 11 per cent during the review period as compared to the same period last fiscal year.

Vegetables worth Rs. 5.59 billion had been imported in the first three months of the last fiscal year.

During the review period, the country imported potatoes worth Rs. 2.66 billion. The share of potatoes to the total vegetable import was 53 per cent.

The country has imported onion worth Rs. 2 billion, garlic worth around Rs. 280 million and mushroom worth Rs. 2.1 million during the review period.