Nepal’s annual food import bill surged to NPR 434.26 billion in the last fiscal year, rebounding sharply after a brief slowdown triggered by previous export restrictions in India. Economists and agricultural experts warn that food is rapidly becoming the country’s second-largest external dependency after petroleum products.
The rising import figures are driven by a combination of increasing consumer demand, remittance-fuelled purchasing power, and a widening gap between domestic agricultural production and local consumption. At the same time, the continuous outflow of young workers for foreign employment has severely depleted Nepal’s rural agricultural labor force, leaving arable land uncultivated.
According to the Department of Customs, the main drivers of the total import bill include:
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Crude Edible Oils: NPR 168.26 billion (much of which is refined and re-exported)
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Cereals (Rice & Paddy): NPR 39.53 billion
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Seeds: NPR 38.99 billion
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Vegetables: NPR 38.35 billion
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Fruits & Dry Fruits: NPR 34.73 billion
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Live Animals, Poultry & Dairy: NPR 25.77 billion
Experts from the National Peasants Coalition Nepal cautioned that heavy reliance on imported food and seeds poses a serious risk to national food security, noting that any sudden policy shift or export halt by neighbor countries could trigger immediate supply shortages across Nepal.