More

    Nepal faces trade deficit as COVID-19 rules

    HealthCOVID-19Nepal faces trade deficit as COVID-19 rules
    - Advertisment -

    Nepal faces trade deficit as COVID-19 rules

    High cost of petroleum imports, lower exports and crashing in-home remittances together with a collapse of the tourism sector due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a widening of the country’s trade deficit in the first six months of the current financial year.

    Nepal’s trade deficit has increased by 46.64 per cent and currently stands at Nepali Rs. 880.49 billion in the first six months of the current financial year. Nepal’s financial year begins on 15 July and this report covers the six months ending mid-January 2022.

    According to the foreign trade statistics division of Nepal’s Department of Customs, the export trade has increased by 95.48 per cent to Rs. 118.85 billion during the first six months (mid-July 2021 to mid-January 2022) of the current financial year. Nepal’s exports were worth Nepali Rs. 60.79 billion in over the same period during the last financial year.

    But this huge leap in exports was not enough because the country’s import trade too increased by 51.13 per cent to Rs. 999.34 billion during these six months. That led to high trade deficits.

    - Advertisement -
    COVID-19 impact on the economy

    Petroleum products account for Nepal’s single largest chunk of import expenses. But COVID-19 did not stop the landlocked country from importing petroleum products worth Nepali Rs. 96.71 billion (including diesel, petrol and aviation fuel). Besides, the country also spent Nepali Rs. 29.2343 billion on importing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) over the past six months.

    Nepal’s export earnings come mainly from exports of agricultural commodities – palm oil, cardamom, tea and coffee.

    The other major source of income is remittances from migrant Nepali nationals working overseas. That has come crashing in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. In recent days, Nepal has worked overtime with foreign diplomatic missions to promote its labour exports. Newspapers gave space to pictures of out-going workers queuing up to leave the country and the government announced that it would monitor the seat allocations for subsidised travel on the country’s loss-incurring national carrier.

    But the pandemic hurt most when tourists to the Himalayan country stopped arriving. Again, that was due to COVID-19.

    Not unexpected

    The swollen state of current trade deficits was not unforeseen. In November, the Nepal Rastra Bank (the country’s central bank) stepped in to reverse a foreseeable trend by discouraging the import of what it felt were non-essential goods.

    Then, the central bank’s quarterly review of the of the monetary policy had mandated importers to deposit a cash margin to be able to open and operate a letter of credit for goods it categorised as non-essential goods. This was a departure from the previous practices of the lending banks deciding on the cash margins, depending on their assessment of the creditworthiness of the borrowers.

    The swelling forex reserves were also anticipated after a review of the first quarter of the financial year that showed that the country’s gross foreign exchange reserves decreased by 6.5 per cent. This, the Nepal Rastriya Bank had said, was due to for three consecutive months to surging imports and a constant fall in the inflow of remittances.

    - Advertisement -

    LEAVE A REPLY

    Please enter your comment!
    Please enter your name here

    Latest news

    In Rajya Sabha: Women’s Safety Measures Under Umbrella Scheme being Strengthened, says Bandi Sanjay Kumar

    Over 34,626 officials have received specialised training on DNA evidence management and the use of Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kits, with 18,020 kits distributed across States/UTs.

    In Rajya Sabha: Pilot Project Launched for World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan in Cooperative Sector

    India faces a significant challenge in foodgrain storage, with a substantial gap between production and storage capacity, leading to potential losses and impacting food security.

    Global Wealth Plummets: Economic Catastrophe Looms with Rising Temperatures, Australian Study Warns

    The study highlights that the economic damage will not be evenly distributed. Developing nations, often located in regions more vulnerable to extreme weather events, will bear the brunt of the impact.

    In Lok Sabha: Early Warning Systems to Mitigate Glacial Lake Outburst Floods

    The Indian government has taken significant steps toward disaster risk reduction, aligning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ten-point agenda on DRR.
    - Advertisement -

    Where the Land Meets the Sea: Mangroves as Guardians of Life and Livelihoods

    The establishment of a Mangrove Co-Management Committee brought together villagers, local governance bodies, and women’s Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to spearhead conservation efforts.

    Pakistan Begins Mass Repatriation of Afghan Refugees Amidst International Backlash

    The coming weeks will determine how the repatriation unfolds and whether diplomatic efforts can alter the course of what many fear could become one of the largest forced migrations in recent history.

    Must read

    In Rajya Sabha: Women’s Safety Measures Under Umbrella Scheme being Strengthened, says Bandi Sanjay Kumar

    Over 34,626 officials have received specialised training on DNA evidence management and the use of Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kits, with 18,020 kits distributed across States/UTs.

    In Rajya Sabha: Pilot Project Launched for World’s Largest Grain Storage Plan in Cooperative Sector

    India faces a significant challenge in foodgrain storage, with a substantial gap between production and storage capacity, leading to potential losses and impacting food security.
    - Advertisement -

    More from the sectionRELATED
    Recommended to you