Birgunj Customs Dominates Nepal's Foreign Trade in FY 2082/83

Kathmandu. Birgunj Customs continues to dominate the country's imports and exports. This dominance is evident in the share of customs offices in the annual foreign trade of the fiscal year 2082/83. According to data released on Thursday, Birgunj Customs Office has become the country's first and best customs gateway in both imports and exports, while the trade status of small and some popular customs offices appears very weak. The data shows that exports were completely zero from 11 out of a total of 28 customs offices. Birgunj Customs alone accounts for nearly half of the total imports. With a 47.05 percent share in imports, Birgunj holds the first position. Besides this, Bhairahawa with 14.51 percent, Biratnagar with 11.54 percent, Tribhuvan International Airport with 9.71 percent, and Nepalgunj office with 4.15 percent share in imports have been listed as the five largest customs offices in imports. In terms of goods leaving the country, Birgunj Customs Office is also the foremost. Birgunj accounts for 36.43 percent of the total exports. Similarly, Biratnagar Customs is in second place, accounting for 28.14 percent. Tribhuvan International Airport is third with a 12.03 percent share, Bhairahawa is fourth with 11.08 percent, and Mechi Customs is fifth with 8.33 percent. 11 Crossings Have Zero Exports While major crossings contribute significantly to trade, the condition of small and some regional customs offices appears extremely dire. In terms of imports, Triveni Customs has the weakest status, with imports worth 265,000 rupees. Similarly, Pashupatinagar, Gautam Buddha International Airport, and Thadi Customs Office have zero import share. The export situation is even more disappointing. Out of the 28 customs offices included in the data, exports were zero from 11 offices. Exports were also zero from Gautam Buddha International Airport, built with huge investment, and the popular northern crossing Tatopani. Other customs offices with zero exports include Suthouli, Sunsari, Janakpur, Maheshpur, Sati, Bhadrapur, Siraha, Rajbiraj, and Thadi. Similarly, although not zero, Triveni had negligible exports worth 199,000 rupees, and Kanchanpur had exports worth 7.11 million rupees, according to the data from the Department of Customs.