Nepal has imported 3,725 metric tonnes of fruits and food items from China through the Korala border point in Mustang as of Sunday, according to the quarantine office stationed at the crossing. Imports through the northern border point began on Bhadra 20, and the volume has accumulated steadily since then, making Korala an active gateway for Chinese agricultural produce at a time when two of Nepal's other China-facing trade routes, Rasuwagadhi and Tatopani, remain closed. Quarantine technical assistant Bandana Ghartimagar said 11 types of fruits and food items have entered Nepal through Korala so far, with apples, dragon fruit, pears, mangoes, grapes and raisins among the consignments cleared at the border.

Eleven varieties cleared through the Mustang crossing

The quarantine office at Korala has been keeping a detailed record of everything that enters Nepal from the Chinese side, and its figures show a diverse mix of fresh fruit and dried goods arriving since the shipments began on Bhadra 20. According to Ghartimagar, the consignments cleared so far include:

  • Apples
  • Dragon fruit
  • Pears
  • Mangoes
  • Grapes
  • Raisins
  • Pumpkin seeds and other goods

Together, these make up the 11 categories of fruits and food items that the office has logged as of Sunday. The total of 3,725 metric tonnes represents the combined weight of all these shipments over the course of the import period. The figures were reported by Rato Pati, with matching accounts carried by Khabarhub and Pradesh Khabar.

The range of items is notable in itself. Alongside familiar orchard fruits such as apples, pears and grapes, the consignments include dragon fruit, a tropical variety that has grown in popularity in recent years, as well as dried products like raisins and pumpkin seeds. The presence of both fresh and processed items indicates that the shipments passing through Korala cater to more than one segment of the market, spanning fresh produce for immediate sale as well as longer-shelf-life goods.

Imports rerouted after closures at Rasuwagadhi and Tatopani

A key factor behind the surge of fruit imports through Korala is the closure of two of Nepal's principal border points with China. The imports shifted to Korala after the Rasuwagadhi and Tatopani border points were closed, redirecting the flow of Chinese goods toward the Mustang crossing. With those two routes unavailable, traders moving Chinese fruits into Nepal have had little choice but to route their consignments through the northern border point in Mustang.

This rerouting has effectively concentrated a significant volume of trade through a single crossing. Korala, which previously did not handle this scale of fruit imports, has absorbed the demand that would otherwise have been distributed across multiple entry points. In the span since Bhadra 20, the crossing has already recorded nearly 3,725 metric tonnes of inbound fruit and food items, a figure that underscores how quickly trade can consolidate around an open route when alternatives are shut.

For Mustang itself, the development means the district's border point has taken on a role in national trade that extends well beyond local commerce. Every consignment of apples, pears, mangoes, grapes or dragon fruit that enters Nepal through Korala is produce destined for markets across the country, arriving via a route that only became central to this trade after the closures elsewhere.

Quarantine oversight at the border point

The quarantine office at Korala plays a central role in managing this inflow. It is the office's records that establish both the total volume of 3,725 metric tonnes and the breakdown of the 11 categories of fruits and food items that have entered the country. Technical assistant Bandana Ghartimagar has served as the source of the official figures, confirming the types of goods cleared and the cumulative totals as of Sunday.

Quarantine desks at border crossings are the first point of inspection for agricultural produce entering Nepal, responsible for checking consignments against permitted categories and maintaining the official tally of what comes through. At Korala, that function has taken on added importance with the border point now handling the volume of fruit trade that was previously dispersed among several crossings. The office's category-by-category accounting, from fresh fruits like apples and dragon fruit to dried goods such as raisins and pumpkin seeds, provides the clearest picture yet of what is actually moving across the border.

Korala's emerging role in Nepal-China trade

The numbers coming out of the quarantine office point to a significant shift in how Chinese fruit reaches Nepali consumers. With Rasuwagadhi and Tatopani closed, Korala has become the channel through which a substantial and varied flow of produce is entering the country, and it has sustained that flow continuously since imports began on Bhadra 20.

The accumulation of 3,725 metric tonnes across 11 categories of fruits and food items in this period gives a measure of the crossing's current importance. Whether the volumes continue to grow will depend on the status of the other border points and the pace of shipments from the Chinese side, but as of Sunday, the Korala border point in Mustang stands as the country's active route for Chinese fruit imports, with the quarantine office's tally serving as the running record of that trade.