Nathu La border trade crosses Rs 8.95 million in 2009

30 Nov 2009

The fourth-edition of the annual border trade at Nathu La, located on the India-China frontier in Sikkim, ended today with Indian traders registering a turn over of Rs 8.95 million till October this year.

The import of goods from Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) stood at nil as per the official figure as against Rs 1.35 lakh last year, according to Industries and Commerce department officials said here.

Indian traders had initially showed lesser enthusiasm to participate in the fourth-edition of the annual border trade at Nathu La located at 14,200 feet altitude which led to no transaction of goods from either side of the border in May and June this year.

The authorities later persuaded Indian traders, all of them from Sikkim, to engage in border trade that resulted the export turn over of Rs 8.95 million in the next four months as compared to Rs 9.6 million last year, they said.

Items like textiles, utensils, canned food, tea and vegetable oil were in great demand to the importers of TAR, sources said.

The import of goods from TAR failed to enthuse Indian traders as against the corresponding figure of Rs 1.35 lakh last year.

The historical Nathu La silk route was re-opened for bilateral trade in