Dhunche, April 27: Nepal has earned Rs 6.42 billion in customs revenue from the Rasuwagadhi border point in the first nine months of the current fiscal year, with goods worth Rs 31.3 billion imported through this key Nepal–China trade route.
According to Chief Customs Officer Tulsi Prasad Bhattarai at the Rasuwa Customs Office in Timure, trade activity at the northern border has continued despite difficult terrain, weather challenges, and logistical constraints. He noted that the border remains one of the most important gateways for cross-border commerce with China.
Imports through Rasuwagadhi include a wide range of goods such as roll fabrics, ready-made garments, electric vehicles, construction materials for hydropower and infrastructure projects, industrial raw materials, machinery parts, and equipment linked to the Nepal Army–led fast-track project. Essential consumer goods like apples, garlic, milling equipment, and other food items also enter Nepal through this point.
Exports from Nepal to China remain comparatively small in volume. Goods worth around Rs 6.5 million were sent across the border during the same period. These include handicrafts, traditional Nepali clothing, bamboo-based items, beads, packaged dry grass used in Tibetan cuisine, as well as rice and biscuits. Officials say demand for Nepali products is gradually increasing, although limited production capacity continues to constrain export growth.
Trade flow through Rasuwagadhi was severely disrupted after the Miteri Bridge was damaged by flooding in the Lhendekhola area in July 2025. The destruction halted regular movement of goods for several months, affecting both imports and exports.
According to the customs office, full-scale trade operations only resumed on December 2, 2025, after reconstruction of the bridge was completed. Since then, cross-border movement has gradually normalised, although officials say recovery has taken time due to the backlog of goods and logistical delays.
Despite infrastructure challenges, Rasuwagadhi continues to play a significant role in Nepal’s external trade with China, especially for industrial imports and large infrastructure-related supplies. The figures from this fiscal year reflect both the strategic importance of the route and its vulnerability to natural disruptions.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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