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Nepal imported petroleum products worth Rs 65.49 billion in the first two months of the current fiscal year (FY) 2026/27, which was 73 percent more than the expenses under the same heading in the corresponding period last FY.

The records with the Department of Customs (DoC) show that the country's import expense on fossil fuels accounted for 16.31 percent of the total import value in the review period this year. The total import was recorded at Rs 401.51 billion.

Out of the import value, the country spent Rs 16.13 billion on petrol, Rs 28.03 billion on diesel and Rs 5.22 billion on aviation fuel. Likewise, cooking gas worth Rs 16.02 billion was imported during the period between mid-July and mid-September this year.

In the first two months of FY 2025/26, Nepal imported petroleum products worth Rs 37.86 billion. Of these, import of petrol stood at Rs 10.58 billion, aviation fuel at Rs 2.85 billion, diesel at Rs 14.91 billion and cooking gas at Rs 9.43 billion.

According to traders, the petroleum import bill was affected by a number of factors such as the increase in oil prices in the international market, rise in price of the US dollar and a surge in purchased quantity.

Meanwhile, Nepal imported 425,000 mobile phones worth Rs 9.74 billion during mid-July and mid-September. During the same period last year, mobile phones worth Rs 8.87 billion were imported.

During the review period, the import expenses on crude edible oil and ghee stood at Rs 48.57 billion, vehicles and their parts at Rs 29.28 billion, fertilizers at Rs 24.91 billion, machinery and parts worth Rs 24.91 billion, and iron and steel of Rs 23.46 billion. Crude soybean oil imports alone totalled Rs 38.05 billion.

India was Nepal’s largest trading partner, with the imports from the southern neighbor recorded at Rs 221 billion, while export to the country stood at Rs 65.44 billion. China was the second largest source of imports worth Rs 76.40 billion, while exports to the northern neighbor remained at just Rs 293.3 million.

According to the DoC, Nepal's overall import surged 31.58 percent. Likewise, the export volume increased by 61.68 percent to Rs 76.58 billion. The trade deficit rose by 26.02 percent to Rs 324.93 billion.