Tihar Festival's Economic Impact: High Imports, Low Domestic Production
Summary
Tihar has become a major seasonal economic event in Nepal, but more than 80 percent of the goods consumed during the festival are imported. Rising demand for dry fruits, decorative lights, gold, and other gift items is driving imports while domestic production remains limited.
Key Points
- Economists say less than 20 percent of the materials consumed during Tihar come from domestic production, with more than 80 percent imported.
- Dry fruit imports in Ashwin alone reached Rs 918.552 million, with walnuts and coconuts among the biggest imports.
- Decorative lights worth around Rs 400 million were brought in for Tihar, while higher prices and border disruptions pushed costs up.
- Flower production is one of the few domestic successes, but demand still outpaces local supply and imports from Kolkata fill the gap.
