In two months, Nepal imports playing cards valued at more than Rs. 60 million.

Data from the Department of Customs shows that in just the first two months of the current fiscal year, Nepal imported playing cards worth Rs61.1 million. Playing cards are in high demand, especially around holidays like Dashain and Tihar, which has led to a large increase in imports from nations like China, India, the US, and the UK.

During this time, 2,007,892 decks of playing cards were imported into the nation, bringing in Rs35.2 million for the government. Playing cards are commonly utilized for recreational purposes and in gambling at Nepal's main celebrations.

By contrast, during the same two months of the previous fiscal year, playing cards worth Rs64.4 million were imported, bringing in Rs40.4 million in revenue. Additionally, the data reveals that, with Rs52.1 million of all imports this year, China was Nepal's biggest supplier of playing cards, followed by India with Rs9 million.

Playing cards were imported into Nepal for a total of Rs321.8 million during the previous fiscal year (FY 2023–2024), with China and India being the main suppliers with contributions of Rs282.3 million and Rs 26.8 million, respectively. Additionally, imports in smaller amounts came from nations like the US and Spain.

Playing card imports totaled Rs 212.7 million in the preceding fiscal year (2022–2023), of which Rs 187.6 million came from China, Rs 21.5 million from India, and Rs 3.5 million from Brazil.

The increasing numbers of imports indicate that playing cards are in constant demand in Nepal, especially during the holiday seasons, where millions are spent every year on importing them from overseas markets.