Dashain commodities stuck at the Chinese and Indian borders

For the past five days, goods bound for Dashain from the north and south have been stranded in adjacent localities. With the key roadways still blocked due to the late September rains causing floods and landslides, there is little chance that the consignments would reach Kathmandu in time for the celebration.

The Nepal Traders Association president, Hari Bahadur Gautam, reported on Tuesday that as of Tuesday, over 300 containers were stranded at the borders of Tatopani and Kerung. Ready-made clothes and other festive and winter goods made up the majority of the containers.

Because to the constant rain, there have been floods and landslides, closing the border with China since Friday.

The first day of the ten-day festival, Thursday, marks the beginning of Dashain shopping from Ghatasthapana.

According to Gautam, the majority of the cargo containers have become stuck at the Nepali customs office as well as in Khasa and Kerung in China's Tibet.

The roads on both sides have been harmed by landslides and floods.

Before Dashain, he argued, road repairs would not be feasible. The Bailey bridge, located near Tatopani, Nepal's second-largest customs on the northern border, washed away by the Bhotekoshi river.

Kumar Shrestha, ward chairman of Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality-2, claimed that the road is being repaired by inserting a hume pipe in Larcha following two days of negotiations with the rural municipality.

“We are trying to open the road by using excavators. The road will reopen in two to three days, according to Shrestha.

According to Shrestha, temporary measures have been put in place to allow locals to cross the bridge: iron rods have been inserted.

"Traders claim they have only received 5% of the goods they ordered for Dashain, despite the fact that there is no reliable data on the containers that are stuck at the China border," Gautam stated.

Following the effects of COVID-19 and the ensuing recession, dealers were hoping for a rebound in sales. However, Gautam stated, "the flood and landslide have stalled the cargo movement, shattering traders' hope."

The majority of vendors in Kathmandu had piled their merchandise along the banks of the flooded Manohara and Bagmati rivers.

According to traders, raising the price of goods is necessary to make up for the losses.

A significant portion of the bridge that connects Liping and Kodari has been damaged as a result of flooding on the Liping River.

In accordance with the Bhotekoshi rural municipality, maintenance work has begun.

"The traders have asked the government to restore the Liping and Larcha bridges right away.

The damage to the road network connecting Kathmandu has caused products from India to be stopped in border areas, according to Rajendra Sangraula, senior vice president of the Nepal Freight Forwarders Association. He claimed that everything, especially clothing, would cost more in the Kathmandu market because the carriers have increased their freight rates.

The cargo charge for 12-wheeler trucks traveling from Birgunj to Kathmandu has increased by the carriers from Rs70,000 to Rs 130,000.

It could now take days for a loaded container from southern border points to reach Kathmandu, compared to the previous maximum of two days. According to the group, exports are also stranded on the highway.

"Transporters are not letting their trucks carry goods because of the high risk." Drivers are concerned. Sangraula stated, "This circumstance might raise the cost of transportation and, consequently, raise the pricing.

According to Sangraula, "the highway needs to be repaired as soon as possible as further delays may increase the overall logistic cost."

The union claims that more than 100 trucks carrying products will arrive daily on the Tribhuvan Highway, which is currently closed to freight traffic, from important customs locations including Birgunj, Biratnagar, and Bhairahawa.

The Department of Customs reports that during the most recent fiscal year, 2023–24, which concluded in mid-July, Nepal's imports decreased by 1.16 percent to Rs1.59 trillion. During the same time period, exports also decreased by 3.03 percent, reaching Rs152.38 billion.

During the previous fiscal year, Nepal's imports from China totaled Rs298.77 billion, while its exports came to Rs2.58 billion.

Nepal's exports during the review period were Rs103.17 billion, while imports from India totaled Rs996.68 billion.