Country´s gold import crossed over 14.03 tons, which is about two-fold higher than the annual total demand, in mere first seven-and-a-half months of 2009/10 - thanks to cross-border duty difference and rising smuggling to India.Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers´ Association (Negosida), which argues that the country´s total gold demand increased substantially this year with more people taking gold as alternate investment avenue, too estimates that the monthly national demand of yellow metal remains just at around 450 kg.
But statistics shows that import in each of the month from mid-July 2009 to February end 2010 well exceeded this figure -- highest one being 2,875 kg for the month ending mid-January (sixth month of the fiscal year).