By Mukunda Gaire, Kathmandu, Mar. 12: The trade between Nepal and China, which was halted due to the outbreak of COVID-19, has resumed.

Dipak Prasad Dahal, former chairman of Nepal Association of Pharmaceutical Producers of Nepal (APPON), said “Even though the Nepal-China trade was halted for some time due to the fear of coronavirus spread, Nepal’s trade with China has resumed finally.”

It has been a few weeks that the goods are being imported to Nepal from China, through Kolkata port of India.

Dahal further informed that the raw materials required to produce medicines and medicines were being imported to Nepal from China as usual.

 “China had halted its export due to the outbreak of the new type of coronavirus. The epidemic which has now been called as pandemic had also shut all the industries in China,” said Dahal. “As the situation is now under control in China, the Chinese industrialists have informed that no disturbance would prevail in trade business.”

Motilal Dugar, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, said that China had been exporting goods to Nepal by applying a special checking procedure on the goods.

State Minister Dugar said that India was also positive about continuing export of medicines to Nepal.

Dugar said that Minister for Civil Aviation of India and for Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri, had agreed to not stop export of medicines to Nepal.

The government is striving to prevent shortage of essentials and basic utilities, he added.