KATHMANDU: Nepal imported goods worth nearly Rs 1.9 trillion during the first 11 months of the current fiscal year.

According to data released by the Department of Customs on Monday, the country’s total imports reached Rs 1.894 trillion during the review period.

This marks a significant increase of 15.16% compared to the imports recorded during the exact same period in the previous fiscal year.

On the export side, Nepal shipped out goods valued at Rs 277.96 billion during the same 11-month period.

This represents a 12.28% growth compared to the previous fiscal year’s matching period, which saw exports totaling Rs 247.57 billion.

However, because the growth rate of imports (15.16%) outpaced the growth rate of exports (12.28%), the Department of Customs reported that Nepal’s overall foreign trade deficit widened by 15.67% during the review period.