Nepal’s smartphone imports seem to be back on track as positive figures have emerged till the end of Jestha FY 2081/82. According to the latest data from the Department of Customs, Nepal imported smartphones worth Rs 32 arba , 8 crore, 78 lakh, and 1 thousand. This figure records the total transaction worth till the end of Jestha 2082.
During these 11 months, Nepali traders brought in 19 lakh, 75 thousand, and 513 units of smartphones via different countries. Most of the phones that enter Nepal come from China, India, Vietnam, the USA, etc.
Going by the records, the smartphone market is slowly coming out of its abyss. A few years back, Nepal, like the rest of the world, was seeing smartphone sales in the negatives. Even during the Dashain/Tihar festivals, retailers could only struggle to see customers buy phones. Things seem to have changed now.
In Jestha 2082, alone, Nepali traders spent over Rs 3.31 billion on about 1.90 lakh units of smartphones. Similar figures have been registered for Baisakh (2082) as well.
Also: Nepalese can’t sell phones brought from abroad – Govt. rules
Smartphone imports growing till Jestha FY 2081/82 as the government grows revenues
The Nepal government has raked in over Rs 5.98 billion in revenue from smartphone imports. As the market gradually improves, the government’s revenue amount is also improving from smartphone imports.
According to the DoC figures, Nepal has imported phones from 63 countries. China remains the largest smartphone import partner for Nepal. Till Jestha 2082, about 16 lakh smartphones worth over Rs 22.22 billion entered Nepal from China.
India also sent in over 3.97 lakh units of smartphones worth Rs 9.29 billion in Nepal till the end of Jestha 2082. Other key smartphone import partner by countries are listed below.
| SN | Countries | Units of Smartphones | Worth amount (in 1,000) |
| 1 | China | 1,570,540 | Rs 22,225,196 |
| 2 | India | 397,368 | Rs 9,295,225 |
| 3 | Vietnam | 1,058 | Rs 1,758 |
| 4 | USA | 1,198 | Rs 136,099 |
| 5 | Japan | 964 | Rs 78,608 |
The new figures should please Nepal’s phone traders. Since Covid-19 lockdown, the industry has seen lots of ups and downs and mostly the latter. But finally, the sales are on the rise. Now, much will be expected during the Dashain/Tihar holiday season in 2082.
