Kathmandu, July 25: Nepal spent Rs 332.27 billion on petroleum imports in the fiscal year 2025/26, marking a 15.5 per cent increase from the previous year as the country’s dependence on imported fuel remained high.
According to the Department of Customs, the petroleum import bill increased by Rs 44.62 billion from Rs 287.65 billion recorded a year earlier. Fuel imports accounted for 15.85 per cent of Nepal’s total imports, which stood at Rs 2.096 trillion.
Diesel remained the country’s biggest imported commodity, with imports soaring nearly 35 per cent to Rs 172.43 billion from Rs 128 billion in the previous fiscal year. Petrol imports reached Rs 77.26 billion, followed by liquefied petroleum gas at Rs 60.28 billion, aviation fuel at Rs 26.64 billion and kerosene at Rs 677 million.
The customs report shows diesel, petrol and LP gas ranked among Nepal’s five largest import items. Together, the three fuels cost the country Rs 309.97 billion during the year.
Despite expanding hydropower generation and growing electrification in transport and households, Nepal continues to rely heavily on imported fossil fuels, keeping the country’s energy import bill elevated.
The report also identified unprocessed soybean oil as Nepal’s second largest import item, with imports worth Rs 132.77 billion during the fiscal year.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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