Nepal imports Rs 5 billion rice in a month

 Despite claiming to be an agricultural country, Nepal has imported Rs 5 billion worth rice only in a month, revealed the data of Department of Customs (DoC).

According to the data of Department of Customs, the country imported Rs 18.20 billion worth rice only in five months of the current fiscal year 2020-21. “In the four months, the country had imported Rs 13 billion worth rice.”

Though, the government claims to have been encouraging the agriculture production in the country with various programmes, Nepal has imported Rs 33.03 billion worth food items – in the five months of the current fiscal year – including rice, as the domestic production fell short to meet the growing demand for food in the country. “In the four months, the country had imported Rs 25 billion worth food items.”

The country neither has manpower – due to flooding of youth to the foreign employment – nor has it adopted to the mechanisation in the agriculture to boost the production and productivity, apart from comparatively expensive production cost compared to India. “Nepal has imported rice from India,” according to the department.

The cheap rice from India is making Nepali rice face hard times to get market, and lack of government policy push has made it even worse making Nepal the import economy largely also due to growing dependence on remittance that has fuelled the imports.