Due to inadequate government measures to increase domestic production of agro products, Nepal imported agricultural goods totaling more than Rs 203 billion in the first seven months of the current fiscal year.
According to the Department of Customs (DoC) data, the amount of agricultural goods imported between mid-July 2024 and mid-February 2025 accounted for 81% of the total value reported during the previous fiscal year. Nepal imported a total of Rs 251.46 billion worth of agricultural products in FY 2023–2024.
Animal fat and vegetable oil imports totaled Rs 66.20 billion, the highest of all, according to the DoC. In the previous fiscal year, the nation imported the same goods for a total of Rs 48.27 billion. Food grains came in second with an import total of Rs 36.35 billion. Nepal imported food grains totaling Rs 45.79 billion in 2023–2024.
In recent years, Nepal’s reliance on imported agricultural products has increased. Government documents show that over the previous five years, the state gave farmers a substantial subsidy totaling Rs 107.66 billion. Nevertheless, the state assistance has not been successful in increasing the overall agricultural product productivity.
According to Rasmila Thapa, a vendor at a vegetable market in Dhumbarahi, the nation has begun importing a lot of vegetables because of the shrinking agricultural land regions brought on by growing urbanization. Thapa, a pumpkin vendor, stated that because the product is becoming more and more popular among Nepali customers, traders have begun bringing in pumpkins from Bangalore, India.
The nation imported fresh vegetables valued at Rs 25 billion, potatoes at Rs 5.48 billion, dry onions at Rs 2.13 billion, and garlic at Rs 6.81 billion during the review period. In a similar vein, imports were Rs 12.32 billion for fruits, Rs 16.42 billion for agricultural raw materials, Rs 3.97 billion for pulses, Rs 908.40 million for dairy goods, Rs 5.49 billion for tea and coffee, and Rs 2.61 billion for sugar and confections.
Even though the government declared it would produce the most paddy this year, imports of the crop also increased throughout the review period. Paddy imports of Rs 25.29 billion during the review period this year nearly doubled the Rs 13.05 billion imported during the same time the previous year.
Through a number of programs, the government has been giving sugarcane farmers subsidies. It also provides subsidies under several areas, such as agricultural projects, farming funds, livestock insurance premiums, farmer organizations, agricultural enterprises, and agricultural cooperatives. Additionally, each year, billions of rupees are awarded for chemical fertilizers.
The government has cut the funding allocated to this sector for the current fiscal year, citing the inefficiency of the agricultural subsidies it provides. The government’s budget declaration shows that it has set aside Rs 57.29 billion for agriculture in the current fiscal year, compared to Rs 58.98 billion in the previous one.
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