Nepal's food imports jump 47% in two months, led by edible oil and vegetables

Nepal's appetite for imported food grew sharply at the start of the 2026/27 fiscal year. Imports of agricultural and food products in the first two months, from mid-July to mid-September, rose to Rs 87.10bn (about $560m) from Rs 59.18bn a year earlier, according to Department of Customs records reported by Republica. That is an increase of 47%, or Rs 27.92bn.

The jump was concentrated in a few headings. Vegetable and animal fats and oils, mostly crude edible oil, rose to Rs 48.57bn from Rs 27.41bn. Oilseeds, legumes, industrial and medicinal plants and fodder tripled to Rs 8.86bn. Vegetables and root products climbed 43% to Rs 7.93bn. Against that, the main staples of paddy, rice, maize and wheat fell to Rs 6.03bn from Rs 8.79bn, and fruit and dry fruit were little changed at Rs 5.59bn, Republica reported.

The food figures sit inside a wider surge. Total imports in the two months reached Rs 401.52bn, against Rs 305.16bn a year earlier, while exports rose 61.86% to Rs 76.59bn, ShareSansar reported from the same customs data.

A Rs 434bn habit

The full-year picture shows how deep the dependence has become. Nepal's food import bill reached Rs 434.26bn in 2025/26, The Kathmandu Post reported in July, describing food as the country's biggest dependency after fuel. In 2009/10 agricultural imports were Rs 44.43bn; by 2019/20 they had reached Rs 250bn.

The largest single item is crude edible oil, at Rs 168.26bn last year. Much of that does not stay in Nepal: the Post reported that Rs 146bn of processed oil was re-exported, using the difference in tariffs between the two countries. That trade inflates both sides of the ledger. It also explains why the oil heading moves so sharply from month to month.

Other items are eaten at home. Rice and paddy cost Rs 39.53bn last year, seeds Rs 38.99bn, vegetables Rs 38.35bn and fruit Rs 34.73bn, according to the Post. In the first seven months of 2025/26 alone, Nepal spent Rs 25.12bn on paddy and rice, including 46,000 tonnes of basmati, Republica reported in February, after erratic rain and landslides damaged the previous crop.

At the border

The pattern shows up at individual crossings. Agricultural products worth Rs 24.27bn entered through Kakarbhitta in the east in 2025/26, from India, China, Australia and Bangladesh, The Himalayan Times reported, citing the plant quarantine office there. The list ran from chickpeas and mung beans from Australia to Indian tomatoes, cucumbers and chillies, and apples worth Rs 296m.

One small category runs the other way. Imports of tea, coffee and spices fell slightly to Rs 2.03bn in the first two months while exports of the same goods were Rs 3.04bn, leaving a surplus of about Rs 1bn, Republica reported.

What to watch

The fall in grain imports may not last. Rice output fell 4.2% last year, and this year's crop was planted during a fertiliser shortage (see our report on the fertiliser supply). The size of the main paddy harvest in November and December will largely decide whether rice imports rise again in the second half of the fiscal year.