Kathmandu, Jan. 28: The import of cereals to the country has decreased significantly during the first six months of the current fiscal year 2023/24. According to a latest trade statistics of the Department of Customs, food imports have decreased by 20 per cent in terms of monetary value during the first six months of the current fiscal year 2023/24 as compared to the same period last fiscal year 2022/23.
Similarly, in terms of quantity, the import of cereals has decreased by 25 per cent during the review period as compared to the corresponding period last year.During the review period, about 478,202 tonnes of cereals worth Rs. 22.22 billion have been imported. The country imported about 644,584 tonnes of cereals worth Rs. 27.91 billion in the first six months of the last fiscal year. The import of cereals has decreased due to decrease in the import of paddy and rice.
The paddy import has dropped by 47 per cent and rice by 43 per cent during the review period as compared to the same period last year. About 138,304 tonnes of paddy worth Rs. 5.14 billion and 49,404 tonnes of rice worth Rs. 5 billion have been imported during the first six months of the current fiscal year.
In the first six months of the last fiscal year, about 279,170 tonnes of paddy worth Rs. 9.73 billion and 144,371 tonnes of rice worth Rs. 8.89 billion had been imported in the first six months of the last year.Due to the increase in paddy production this year, the import of rice and paddy may have decreased during the review period. The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development has estimated that around 5.724 million tonnes have been produced this year.
However, the import of wheat has also increased significantly during the first six months of the current fiscal year as compared to the same period last fiscal year. The country imported 123,666 tonnes of wheat worth Rs. 4.98 billion during the review period. The import of wheat increased by 70 times during the review period as compared to the same period last fiscal year.
Only 1,895 tonnes of wheat worth Rs. 66 million had been imported during the first six months of the last fiscal year. Last year, Nepali industries were in trouble as India imposed restrictions on wheat exports and increased customs duties. In the last fiscal year 2022/23, wheat worth Rs. 280 million had been imported.
In the meantime, the import of maize has decreased by 25 per cent during the first six months of the current fiscal year as compared to the same period last year. The country has imported 157,402 tonnes of maize worth Rs. 6.63 billion during the review period. About 208,251 tonnes of maize worth Rs. 8.81 billion had been imported in the same period last fiscal year.Likewise, 197 tonnes of buckwheat worth Rs. 14.4 million, 8,906 tonnes of millet worth Rs. 437 million and 296 tonnes of barley worth Rs. 11 million have been imported during the review period.
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