Nepal's government expressed commitment to creating an independent economy at the height of last year's economic blockade by increasing agricultural production and fulfilling market demand from alternative sources. However, it has allegedly done nothing in this direction so far.
According to the Plant Quarantine Office in Kakarbhitta, imports of farm products from India haven't dropped a bit since the blockade. Nepal imports cabbage worth Rs 60 million annually from India through the entry point, the office said.
Binaya Kumar Sah, a technician at the quarantine office, said Nepal imported farm products worth Rs 3.44 billion from countries like Bangladesh, the US, Canada, China and India in the past year.
Vegetables like cauliflower, onion, chili, cucumber and tomato, and fruits like grape, mango, watermelon, apple and other agricultural products also come from countries like Bangladesh, Canada, the US, India and China. Potato and other vegetables come from India, garlic from China and India, and fruits from China and India.
(1 Indian Rupee=0.015USD)
Source: myrepublica.com
