Dashain shoppers will have to brace for higher prices

A hike in import duty, weakened Nepali rupee against the dollar and higher transportation costs prompted by the virus outbreak have made Dashain goods, mainly apparels, dearer.

Dashain shoppers planning to buy new clothes from international brands will have to carry fatter wallets as prices are set to swell by at least 25 percent, further hurting already bleak consumer sentiments caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, traders said.