Nepal exported juice worth more than Rs 2.2 billion in the first three months of the current fiscal year 2083/84, according to data from the Department of Customs, underlining the growing weight of the country's juice industry in its overall export trade. The figures, covering the period from Shrawan to Ashwin, roughly mid-July to mid-October, show that a total of 22.66 million litres of various juices were shipped abroad during the review period. India emerged as the largest destination by a wide margin, while smaller consignments also reached China and Japan. The data confirms that India remains the dominant market for Nepali juice, even as the country's beverages found buyers in two of Asia's largest economies.

The numbers at a glance

The Department of Customs figures for the opening quarter of fiscal year 2083/84 capture a brisk three months for Nepal's juice exporters. Between Shrawan and Ashwin, juice worth more than 2.2 billion rupees crossed the border, with total volumes reaching 22.66 million litres. The review period spans the first three months of the Nepali fiscal calendar, which began in mid-July, making it the earliest reliable snapshot of how the year's trade in the product is shaping up.

The key figures from the review period are as follows:

  • Export value: more than Rs 2.2 billion
  • Total volume: 22.66 million litres of various juices
  • Review period: Shrawan to Ashwin of fiscal year 2083/84
  • Largest destination: India
  • Other markets: China and Japan

Taken together, the reported value and volume work out to an average realization of roughly Rs 97 per litre. The headline data does not break down the shipments by juice variety, but the category as a whole clearly moved in substantial quantities during the quarter.

Reading the daily flow

Spread across the roughly three-month window, the volume translates into a flow of close to a quarter of a million litres of juice leaving Nepal every day. Sustaining that pace implies steady production, packaging and transport capacity on the Nepali side, and dependable demand in the destination markets. The Shrawan-to-Ashwin figures indicate that both elements were in place through the opening months of the fiscal year, allowing exporters to post a three-month haul of more than Rs 2.2 billion.

India remains the dominant buyer

The most striking feature of the data is the direction of trade. India was the largest destination for Nepali juice during the three months, and the Department of Customs figures leave little doubt that the southern neighbor remains the dominant market for the product. For exporters, that dominance provides a large, nearby and dependable outlet capable of absorbing high volumes, as the quarter's earnings demonstrate.

At the same time, the concentration of sales in a single market is a reality the sector will continue to navigate. The latest data reinforces a pattern already visible in the trade: when it comes to juice, India is the market that matters most for Nepali producers, and movements in demand there will shape the industry's fortunes through the rest of the fiscal year.

A footprint in China and Japan

Beyond India, the review-period data records juice exports reaching China and Japan. The volumes involved were smaller than those bound for India, but the presence of both countries in the customs figures is nonetheless noteworthy. China and Japan count among the largest consumer markets in Asia, and even a modest Nepali footprint there points to at least early diversification in the destinations for the country's juice. Whether those initial sales grow into a larger, regular trade will become clearer as data for the remaining months of the fiscal year is published.

The road ahead for juice exports

For now, the opening quarter of fiscal year 2083/84 stands as a strong start for Nepal's juice trade. More than Rs 2.2 billion in earnings and 22.66 million litres in shipments within three months give the industry a solid base to build on, with India once again doing the heavy lifting as the dominant buyer.

The figures cover only Shrawan to Ashwin, so the full-year picture will depend on how demand holds up from Kartik onwards, when the Department of Customs releases data for the subsequent months of the fiscal year. Exporters and observers of the trade will be watching whether the momentum of the first quarter can be sustained, and whether markets such as China and Japan grow from occasional buyers into consistent ones. Further details of the export data are available via Khabarhub.