The deadlock at major customs points across the country over the government’s mandatory maximum retail price (MRP) rule on imported goods has been temporarily resolved.

Customs clearance resumed from Wednesday at key border points, including Birgunj, after an agreement between the Department of Customs and importers. The dispute over MRP rules had left a large number of cargo trucks stranded at the Birgunj Customs Office for nearly a week and a half, sharply affecting revenue collection.

The impasse ended after the customs department allowed importers to self-declare the MRP of goods and affix labels later at their warehouses.

Under the agreement, importers must declare the maximum retail price at the customs point itself. They can then transport the goods to their warehouses and attach MRP labels before sending them into the market. However, the condition requiring products to carry price labels before distribution remains unchanged.

Madhav Rajpal, senior vice-president of the Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the issue had been resolved for the time being.

Uday Singh Bista, information officer at the Birgunj Customs Office, said customs clearance resumed from Wednesday evening after the agreement. He said the office collected Rs760 million in revenue on Wednesday.

Bista said clearance is currently being carried out based on written commitments from traders that MRP labels will be affixed within Nepal.

Importers had earlier opposed the requirement to attach MRP labels to every unit at the customs point, arguing that unloading goods and labelling each package was impractical. They said the process would significantly increase both costs and delays while disrupting customs operations.

However, after regular revenue collection fell by more than 50 percent and over 1,700 cargo vehicles remained stranded at Birgunj Customs alone, the government was compelled to seek a solution.

Ganesh Ghimire, administrative chief of TRS Himalayan Logipark Pvt Ltd, the company operating the Integrated Check Post in Birgunj, said around 1,000 cargo vehicles cleared customs and exited the checkpoint premises on Wednesday alone.

He added that cargo vehicles waiting on the Indian side of the ICP were also gradually entering the Birgunj ICP.