Kathmandu, Nov. 18 -- Export earnings from listed products swelled 23 percent in the first quarter, largely as a result of tea prices climbing to record highs, traders said. The price of Nepali teas jumped by 40-60 percent on strong buyer demand and a huge shortfall in India.

Nepal exported goods listed in the Nepal Trade Integrated Strategy (NTIS) worth Rs9.22 billion during the three-month period from mid-July to mid-October, up from Rs7.49 billion in the same period last year.

Traders said part of the reason for the jump in export figures was the resumption of cargo movement after the end of the Covid-19 lockdown.

Amrit Lamsal, under-secretary at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, said that the production of agricultur...