ADB_book_18 April.qxp - Himalayan Document Centre - icimod

Table 12.5: Percentage Share of Major Commodities in Nepal'sOverseas Exports in FY2004 (2060/61) (NRs ‘ 000)Commodity Unit Quantity Value Share in %Readymade garments pcs. 38,994,326 9,552,544 45.6Woolen carpet s sq.m 1,648,918 5,461,301 26.1Woolen and pashminagoods1,473,675 7.0Handicrafts 427,189 2.1Sugar t 9,250 404,165 1.9Nepali paper & products 348,482 1.7Silverware and jewelry 321,569 1.5Pulses (lentils) t 7,590 294,554 1.4Hides and goatskin sq.ft. 6,627,864 286,117 1.4Towels 249,393 1.2Cardamom (large) t 1,111 228,963 1.1Tea t 1,002.2 106,897 0.5Wooden goods 46,810 0.2Other 1,740,002 8.3Total 20,941,661 100.0pcs = pieces, sq.ft. = square foot, sq.m = square meter, t = metric to nSource: Trade Promoti on Centre (2004)Table 12.6: Major Trading Partners of Nepal : Exports (NRs ’000)Country FY2002 FY2003 FY2004India 27,956,200 26,430,000 31,244,300United States 9,377,832 12,686,537 9,695,977Germany 4,043,218 3,555,327 3,567,036United Kingdom 808,751 1,070,737 1,677,085Italy 566,557 530,869 589,370France 473,472 453,961 581,762Canada 305,978 383,651 546,403Japan 492,833 474,247 525,601Bangladesh NR 411,335 421,308Switzerland 382,823 NR 306,255Portugal NR 414,680 NRBelgium 295,140 NR NRSubtotal 44,702,804 46,411,344 49,155,097Other countries 2,683,984 3,599,778 5,261,517Grand total 47,386,788 50,011,122 54,416,614NR = not ranked in that year , only top ten countries are listed.Source: Trade Promotion C entre (2004)Table 12.7: Major Trading Partners of Nepal: Imports (NRs ’000)Country FY2002 FY2003 FY2004India 56,622,100 70,924,200 81,651,900Singapore 7,346,919 9,039,197 8,698,647China, People’s Rep. of 4,315,803 4,760,342 5,433,815Thailand 3,278,165 2,988,929 4,320,169Malaysia 4,818,356 4,009,640 3,676,428Indonesia 2,877,654 3,976,734 3,253,785Korea, Republic of 2,500,974 3,380,348 3,080,644Saudi Arabia 3,654,905 2,363,956 2,547,901Germany NR 2,278,356 1,977,896Japan NR NR 1,690,396Hong Kong 2,461,194 2,276,995 NRUnited States 2,525,603 NR NRSub total 90,401,673 105,998,697 116,331,581Other countries 18,233,128 22,229,437 22,421,154Grand Total 108,634,801 128,228,134 138,752,735NR = not rank ed in that year, only top ten countries are listed.Note: Trade with India for FY2002 and 2003 are revised, and is provisional for FY2004.Source: Trade Promotion Centre (2004)Valley and its satellite towns. This largedemand and the consequent trade haveresulted in extensive deforestation of Teraiforests, some in very critical ecosystemssuch as the Churia and the wetlands. Alongwith deforestation, the rich biodiversity ofthe Terai’s subtropical forests has alsodiminished significantly. Roughly 4–5% ofNepal’s exports to India consist of nontimberforest products and herbs, andthere is concern about unsustainableharvesting of these products (Dhakal 2004,Tiwari et al. 2004). Another major impact ofthis deforestation has been the widespreadflooding of the Terai plains causingextensive damage to crops and agriculturalland, frequent changes in river courses,bank erosion, and debris deposits. Some ofthis occurs naturally, but the impact ofanthropogenic factors has increasedconsiderably (Banskota 2005) as a result ofthe rapid increases in population,deforestation, and expansion inagricultural land. The argument here is notto suggest that trade is bad. However, itdoes have environmental effects thatshould be carefully studied.Trade involves transport, and intoday’s world motorized transport is usingfossil fuel that adds to the carbon dioxidein the atmosphere and releases harmfulgases. A recent study has highlighted someof the health effects in Kathmandu (CENand ENPHO 2003). The time has come tobetter understand the environmentaleffects of increasing domestic trade andidentify possible corrective measures.International TradeInternational trade has grown rapidly overthe years with the trade/GDP ratio almostdoubling in two decades. Today it stands at40%. However, other smaller nations thatdepend on trade have ratios as high as 80%(NTCS 2003), suggesting that there arefurther potentials for expanding trade.Nepal imports many environmentallysensitive products such as petroleumproducts, insecticides, and chemicalswhich are critical inputs into variousproduction processes. These need to becarefully handled. Increasing use of fossilfuel is now seen as the main factor behindthe deterioration of air quality inKathmandu Valley (CEN 2003); this isalready beginning to have many health186 Environment Assessment of Nepal : Emerging Issues and Challenges