Nepal is increasingly being used as a transit route for smuggling watermelon kernels into India, with traders exploiting low customs tariffs on agricultural imports to bring in large quantities of the product before moving it across the porous border.

On Sunday evening, police seized 948 sacks of watermelon seeds from Bhadrapur Municipality-3 in Jhapa district.

Superintendent of Police Basundhara Khadka, chief of the Jhapa District Police Office, said the seeds were recovered during a raid on a local residence.

A team of 55 police personnel led by Khadka carried out the operation following a tip-off. The joint team from the district and ward police raided two warehouses belonging to local resident Bhimlal Subedi, where the large stockpile had been stored.

Preliminary investigations showed that the seeds had been brought into Nepal illegally to avoid customs duties. The seized goods have been handed over to the Bhadrapur Customs Office for further action.

“A 55-strong police team was deployed simply to transport the sheer volume of the seized goods,” SP Khadka said. “Initially, police officers reached the site in two vehicles. However, after discovering that both warehouses were packed to capacity, additional personnel were called in.”

Police estimate that the market value of the seized seeds could be as high as Rs1,600 per kilogram.

The seizure is part of a growing pattern of cross-border smuggling that has recently led to clashes between security personnel and local residents.

On June 11, a clash broke out between police and locals at Bankul Tole in Baudhimai Municipality-7, Rautahat, near the border, after security personnel attempted to seize nearly 12,000 kilograms of watermelon seeds hidden in the area.

Acting on information that a large consignment was being prepared for shipment to India, a police team raided the location. Locals obstructed the security personnel from removing the suspicious goods, resulting in a brief confrontation. Police fired six rounds of tear gas to bring the situation under control. Six people, including three security personnel, were injured.

Similar seizures have been reported across the Tarai region.

On June 18, watermelon seeds worth Rs1.5 million were seized from a warehouse in Malangwa Municipality-2, Sarlahi. Likewise, Bara police intercepted 314 sacks of seeds being transported from Simraungadh towards Mahottari on June 22, while Siraha police seized 70 sacks from Bariarpatti on May 31, according to the Madhesh Province Police Office.

The Rautahat police handed over their seized consignment to the Gaur Customs Office. Ten days after the Rautahat incident, on June 25, the Armed Police Force intercepted 249 sacks of watermelon seeds being illegally exported to India through the Hathiyaul-Chhanaki border point in Balara Municipality-2, Sarlahi.

Along with the seeds, the APF seized four Indian pickup trucks and a Nepali truck. The smugglers fled after spotting the police, abandoning the vehicles and cargo.

Last year, police in Rupandehi intercepted 125 sacks of seeds destined for India, while another 35 sacks were seized in the district a month ago.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Krishna Kumar Chand, spokesperson for the Rupandehi District Police Office, only small quantities have been recovered recently.

“Smuggling has dried up on this route lately,” Chand said. “The border is quiet now as we have intensified our anti-smuggling operations.”

Imports far exceed domestic demand

Commercial watermelon cultivation in Nepal remains limited, largely confined to seasonal riverbed farming in a few districts. Domestic production is far below demand, forcing Nepal to import most of its watermelons from India.

Agriculture officials say Nepal’s annual requirement for watermelon seeds does not exceed seven to nine metric tonnes because domestic cultivation remains minimal.

However, trade data presents a strikingly different picture.

In the first 11 months of the current fiscal year, Nepal imported around 19,000 tonnes of “melon seeds” worth more than Rs3.06 billion.

In comparison, during the same period of the previous fiscal year, Nepal imported only 595 tonnes of seeds worth Rs140 million. This represents a 32-fold increase in volume and a 22-fold rise in value in just one year, raising questions about the actual destination of these imports.

Government officials say the imported products are not agricultural seeds meant for cultivation but peeled, edible watermelon kernels—locally known as magaj—which are widely used in the food industry.

Importers allegedly misdeclare these kernels as agricultural seeds to exploit a legal loophole, as agricultural seeds attract minimal customs duties in Nepal. After being cleared at lower rates, the consignments are stored near the border before being secretly transported into India through the open border.

Data from the Department of Customs also shows a significant change in the source countries of these imports.

In previous years, watermelon seeds entered Nepal in limited quantities from India, Iran and Pakistan. However, imports are now largely coming from Afghanistan, Nigeria, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey. Several of these countries had recorded no imports in previous years but have seen their exports to Nepal rise to millions of rupees in the current fiscal year.

Customs experts say the main driver behind this trade is strong demand in the Indian market.

Watermelon kernels are widely used in India’s confectionery, bakery, dried fruit and traditional sweets industries. However, to protect domestic producers, the Indian government has imposed restrictions on their import.

As a result, smuggling networks have turned Nepal’s open and difficult-to-monitor border into an alternative supply route. Recent police operations across the Tarai plains highlight how smugglers exploit weaknesses in border surveillance.

“There is immense demand for these seeds in India,” said Superintendent of Police Sitaram Rijal, chief of the Rautahat District Police Office. “I understand they are used in preparing spices and confectionery. Because of the high demand and restrictions there, smuggling rings have become highly active along our borders.”

Border districts become transit points

To bypass restrictions in India, smugglers have transformed several border points in Madhesh Province into transit hubs.

Police investigations show that the goods are transported to border districts such as Rautahat through local markets or alternative domestic routes. Local carriers are then hired to move the consignments across the border in small batches.

Security officials acknowledge that despite increased surveillance, such clandestine operations not only cause significant revenue losses but also pose a serious challenge to border management.

The smuggling network is not limited to Madhesh Province; similar attempts have also been detected in Koshi and Lumbini provinces.

Deputy Inspector General Bhupendra Bahadur Khatri, chief of the Lumbini Province Police, said security forces remain on high alert despite strong demand for the product in India.

“We will not allow even a single kilogram to be smuggled across the border,” Khatri said. “No matter how much they try to exploit the open border, we will disrupt their operations.”

Similarly, Deputy Inspector General Binod Ghimire, chief of the Koshi Province Police, said intelligence units were actively identifying warehouses used by smugglers.

“We are taking a hardline approach,” Ghimire said. “We have figured out their tactic of storing the goods in border areas before quietly moving them across, and we are acting swiftly to dismantle these networks.”