Nepal agricultural exports to India worth Rs542 million have surged in the last eight months, with improvements in transport, investment and quality of agricultural products contributing to the surge. 

According to the District Plant Quarantine Office, 5,818 tonnes of herbs and similar items were exported to India. Among them were 2,671 tonnes of herbs, cinnamon, bay leaves (Tejpatta), 405 tonnes of spices and 12 tonnes of ground spices. Similarly, 21 tonnes of flour and 709 tonnes of bran and mustard oil were exported.

The Quarantine Office said that out of the agricultural exports, herbs were worth Rs354 million, spices were worth Rs35 million while bran, ground spices were worth Rs14 million and Rs1.6 million respectively. The Quarantine Office also added that flour worth Rs2.7 million was exported to India.

The surge in exports can be attributed to the improved transport infrastructure in the mid-West region of Nepal which saw a growth in herbal collection and industrial farming. 

According to the Quarantine Office, 60 percent of herbs exported came from the hilly districts of Karnali, Rukum and Jajarkot. This meant that an improved transport infrastructure helped in moving the herbs quickly for export.

Quarantine Officer Thaman Bahadur Karki said that the main export herbs were tumeric, pepper (timmur), asparagus (kurilo), cinnamon, spikenard (jatamasi) among others.

“As the production of herbs has increased, so has the exports. The improved transport facilities in Jumla and Humla have certainly boosted the level of both production and export here,” said Karki, “The major herbal season is still yet to come and we are already seeing herb exports raising the standard of living of people living in the hilly regions.”

The herbs from Nepal are exported to Indian medicine factories, departmental stores and resold in other countries. All exports are overseen by the forest offices and Indian businessmen.

According to the Quarantine Office, 249 tonnes of ginger, 270 tonnes of cinnamon and 73 tonnes of tumeric were exported to India in the previous year.

Last year, Rs533 million worth of herbs and agricultural goods were exported. The export value has already surged past that record just eight months into the current fiscal year and is expected to grow even further.