Trade through Korala border booming despite freezing cold

By Harikrishna Sharma,Muktinath, Nov. 23: More than Rs. 4 billion in revenue is expected to be collected in the month of Mangsir from the Korala border point in the upper part of Mustang, where imports from China’s Tibet continue despite extreme winter conditions.

With temperatures dropping to minus 15 degrees Celsius in the early morning, customs officials have been clearing snow along the Nepal–China Border Pillar No. 24 as a steady stream of electric vehicles, goods-laden trucks and containers enter Nepal from the Lizi–Nechung (Korala) route.

According to Ramesh Khadka, Chief of the Nechung Customs Office in Mustang, the checkpoint had collected Rs. 3.83 billion in revenue as of Friday. 

Since trade resumed on September 15, a total of 1,731 electric vehicles (EVs) and 1,030 cargo trucks and containers have been imported through the border. On the export side, Nepal has sent 62 small and medium trucks carrying handicrafts, textiles, and other locally produced goods.

“Snow must be cleared on the way from the border to the customs office, but despite the harsh cold, import–export activities have not stopped,” Khadka said. 

He added that efforts are underway to dispatch cleared goods as quickly as possible along the Korala–Jomsom–Beni Road section, even though the 186-kilometre stretch remains in poor condition, causing difficulties for large containers.

The route from the border to the customs office covers 14 kilometres. With growing interest from Chinese buyers in Nepali handicrafts, textiles, and footwear, exports have seen some improvement in recent weeks. 

So far, imports have reached over Rs. 7.5 billion, while exports have exceeded Rs. 850 million. Goods expected to arrive by Mangsir 15 have already reached the Chinese customs point.

Located at an altitude of 4,650 metres above sea level, the Korala border point serves as a key trade route. Imported electric vehicles and other goods must travel about 251 kilometres from Korala to Pokhara, the capital of Gandaki Province.

The border, once closed after Tibetan Khampas used Nepali territory during their uprising following China’s annexation of Tibet in the 1960s, was formally reopened on November 23, 2023 at the initiative of the Government of Nepal.