Garlic imports from China through the Tatopani customs point surged significantly two months ago but have since plummeted following a sharp decline in prices in India.
Moreover, it has now come to a complete halt in recent days, according to customs officials.
“Since mid-February, there have been no garlic imports through this customs point,” said Surya Prasad Kafle, a customs officer at the Tatopani Customs Office.
In the first month of the current fiscal year (mid-July to mid-August), Nepal imported approximately 3,744 tonnes of garlic worth Rs 495.59 million. By the second month, imports had surged to around 11,480 tonnes. The trend continued, reaching 17,478 tonnes in the third month and 23,846 tonnes by the fourth.
However, the sharpest increase occurred in the fifth month, with Nepal importing around 16,800 tonnes of Chinese garlic between mid-November and mid-December.
Officials believe that high garlic prices in India encouraged Nepali traders to import the spice from China and smuggle it across the border for substantial profits.
India’s garlic-producing states—Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Punjab—experienced lower yields this season as farmers shifted to other crops due to low prices in previous seasons. Additionally, drought conditions disrupted planting and harvesting cycles, further reducing output.
As a result, garlic prices in India soared to INR 500 per kilogram in December, prompting the country to import garlic from Afghanistan.
Nepali traders took advantage of the situation by importing large quantities of Chinese garlic and illegally supplying it to India, officials say.
However, the scenario shifted dramatically with the arrival of the new harvest. Garlic prices in India have since fallen to INR 150–200 per kilogram, significantly reducing the demand for imports.
“The decline in garlic prices in the Indian market appears to be the reason traders have ceased importing from China,” said a senior official from the Department of Customs.
According to department data, Nepal imported nearly 6,300 tonnes of garlic from China between mid-December 2024 and mid-January 2025, bringing total imports in the first six months of the fiscal year to 46,939 tonnes. However, imports plunged to just 622 tonnes worth Rs 80 million between mid-January and mid-February.
Despite this decline, Nepal’s garlic imports have already reached Rs 6.26 billion in the first seven months of FY25—nearly three times the total imports of Rs 2.22 billion in the last fiscal year.
Customs officials also suggest that a verbal directive from higher authorities to halt import certification, in response to the sharp rise in imports, has contributed to the slowdown. “Stricter quarantine measures have also discouraged traders from importing Chinese garlic,” said Nanda Kishor Singh, Chief of the Plant Quarantine and Pesticide Management Centre in Biratnagar.
Several customs offices have confirmed the halt in imports. Rabindra Prasad Pyakurel, an information officer at the Rasuwa Customs Office, stated last week that garlic imports had ceased for nearly a month.
