Kathmandu, October 24

With the Tihar festival right around the corner, local shops, department stores and sweet shops are busy selling dry fruits. Usually dry fruits are used in Bhai masala for Bhai Tika and for other cultural rituals as well.

However, in recent years dry fruits are increasingly being used as gifts during festivals, said Raj Kumar Shrestha, president of Nepal Retailers Association (NRA).

“Earlier dry fruits were used mostly to prepare Bhai masala only. However, in recent years there is an increasing trend of exchanging gifts during festivals, for which consumers are giving dry fruits to their relatives,” he said.

He further said that more and more people are presenting dry fruits instead of sweets as gifts during the festivals. “As dry fruits are a healthier option and can also be stored for a long time, people are choosing dry fruits over sweets as their festival gift,” he said, adding that the trend of giving dry fruits as gifts even in normal days is also emerging.

Meanwhile, Shrestha also said that the price of dry fruits will remain steady during Tihar. “As the price of dry fruits has remained similar to previous years, consumers need not worry about price hike of dry fruits this year,” he said, assuring that the market will not face any shortage of dry fruits in the market this year.

As per the Department of Customs, dry fruits worth Rs 7.91 billion have been imported in the first two months of the current fiscal year.

Currently, the price of walnuts in the retail market is Rs 650 per kg on average, while the price of dried coconut is Rs 500 to Rs 650 per kg. Similarly, cashew is available at Rs 1,500 per kg, raisins at Rs 500 per kg, black dates at Rs 220 per kg, and pistachio at Rs 1,700 per kg while the price of almond is Rs 1,500 per kg on average in the retail market.

“However, the price may differ based on the quality and brands,” he said, adding, “The dry fruits will be available at the aforementioned prices in the local retail markets.”

Over 85 per cent of dried fruits consumed during Tihar have to be imported from countries like India, China, Pakistan Indonesia, Brazil, among others, traders say.