As the use of electric cars is increasing in the Nepali market, various Nepali companies have recently been importing electric vehicles made in China through the Korala border crossing.
What you should know
Goods worth 11.195 billion rupees have been imported and exported from the Mustang Customs Office at the Korala border crossing.
Ramesh Khadka, Chief of Mustang Customs Office, informed that the export and import of goods worth Rs 10.82 billion and Rs 10.88 billion have been made from the Nepal-China Korala border crossing, which has been fully operational since 30 Bhadra, have entered Nepal from China through the Korala border crossing.
Similarly, goods worth Rs 189.778 billion, including Nepali handicrafts, have been inspected at the customs office and exported to China, informed Customs Chief Khadka. So far, 2,074 electric vehicles have entered Nepal through the Korala border crossing. He said that more Chinese electric vehicles are in the process of entering Nepal through the Korala border crossing since Sunday.
This month, BYD Company has been importing more than 500 electric vehicles from China through the Korala border crossing, according to the customs. Customs Chief Khadka said that more than 300 electric vehicles of the same company have already passed customs inspection and departed for their destinations.
Customs Chief Khadka informed that Rs 5.66 billion 62 million has been collected from the imported and exported goods and electric vehicles through the Korala checkpoint here.
As the use of electric cars is increasing in the Nepali market, various Nepali companies have been importing electric vehicles made in China through the Korala checkpoint in recent times. Since these types of electric vehicles are useful for saving fuel and reducing carbon emissions, the government has provided customs concessions to such vehicles, which has led to an increase in demand for electric vehicles in Nepal.
Even in the adverse weather of winter, the movement of electric vehicles from China through the Korala checkpoint has increased and the work of the customs office has become dynamic. The morning and evening temperatures at the Korala border crossing, located at an altitude of 4,610 meters, are minus 20 degrees Celsius. Despite the adverse weather, electric vehicles are entering Nepal through the Korala border crossing.
Drivers have started taking electric vehicles that have passed the inspection at the Mustang customs office here to Jomsom and from Jomsom to Pokhara. In this way, electric vehicles that have left Mustang are taken to the showroom of the relevant company by another group of drivers from Pokhara.
Before that, electric vehicles entering here are driven by drivers who have passed the local border crossing through Chinese customs and taken out to Nepal through the Korala border crossing. Although the Korala border crossing was expected to be closed due to adverse weather, import/export between the two countries has been moving through the Korala border crossing as goods and electric vehicles are entering from China in droves.
As electric vehicles are entering the border in droves, the electric 'charging stations' operating on the Beni-Jomsom-Korla road are busy. Even though the citizens of Upper Mustang have descended into the valley in droves during the winter season, the import/export business at the Korla border has not decreased. Apart from electric vehicles, 10/12 cargo containers of goods are being exported/imported between Nepal and China daily.
