Traders eying festival sales are worried as goods remain stuck at Chinese borders

Almost 2,000 containers with clothes, shoes and electronic devices worth Rs20 billion have been stranded at two border points with the northern neighbour since January as cargo clearance has been slow due to adherence to Covid-19 safety protocols.

In January, Dhiraj Shrestha, who owns Maha Ambe, an apparel store in the heart of Kathmandu, had ordered clothes from China. The consignment, worth Rs4 million, had summer clothing. It’s already September-end, but his orders have not arrived yet.