November 5: Decorative lights worth Rs 180 million have been imported for the festive season this year. The local businessmen have imported the electric lights for decoration especially for Tihar and Chhath festivals.

The import of such sparkling lights during the last fiscal year was worth Rs 400 million. The demand for the lights has declined this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, informed Nepal Electronic Entrepreneurs Federation.

Chairman of the federation, Sundar Prasad Poudel, informed that the electronic goods market of Nepal has shrunk by almost 60 percent this year due to the effects of the pandemic.

The decorative lights are imported in Nepal from India and China. Almost 85 percent of them come from China while the remaining 15 percent is imported from India.

During pervious years, the importers used to visit China and India in person to bring the lights. They used to check the standard of the lights and then place the order. However, this year, they were unable to visit the neighbouring countries and had to place the order online, says Shankar Agrawal, who has been involved in the business of importing the decorative lights.

“During the previous years, people used to fix the lights at their houses and compounds soon after Dashain. However, there isn’t any excitement among the people this year. Our business is also not very encouraging this time,” says Agrawal.

The consumption of decorative lights goes up during Tihar, which is also known as the festival of lights. This year, the five-day festival of Tihar begins from November 12 next week.