Kathmandu, April 20 -- With temperatures on the rise, clothing, shoes, and bag stores across Kathmandu Valley have begun launching their summer collections. Prices, however, have gone up, primarily due to their imports in dollar terms.

Ganga Bahadur Ghimire, senior vice-president of the Nepal Trans Himalayan Border Commerce Association, said that fluctuations in the exchange rate have slightly impacted the price of summer clothing, footwear, bags, and fashion jewellery. The rise in the value of the US dollar over months, along with a modest increase in the Chinese yuan, has caused clothing prices to increase by about 5 to 7 percent.

A year ago, one US dollar was valued at Rs133.80, but it has now reached Rs136.90. Similarly, the Chinese...