Kathmandu, April 26:

The 19-day long strike called by seven-party-alliance (SPA) has caused a direct loss amounting to over Rs 19 billion in transactions to the export sector. Per day exports from Nepal is estimated to be worth over one billion rupees at the rate of 85 containers to different parts of the globe.

Especially, exports through land and sea have been hit hard, compared to exports by air. Till date, land transportation has remained stilted due to obstructed cargo shipments.

Exports by air have remained hit for a week greatly. On an average, 55,000 kilograms of cargo has remained stuck on a daily basis, which is worth close to Rs 46.2 million. For such movements having been stopped for over a week, the tentative cost comes to over Rs 300 million, informed Namgyal Lama, president, Nepal Freight Forwarders Association.

Delay in sending goods has affected our image, which will have a serious impact on our business in the long term as the volume of shipments get piled up for days.

When goods get stranded at the airport, it leads to pilferage and breakage that shocks buyers and business gets severely damaged.

As orders are not cleared in time through airports, it encourages buyers to look for different markets. However, the political change in Nepal is expected to send a positive message to buyers in nations like the US and European Union (EU).