Imports of cement and clinker from Nepal have fallen sharply.

Nov. 30 (Reuters)-Nepal's imports of cement and clinker have fallen sharply as large industrial and construction projects have failed to catch up with the country's expected pace of work. Imports of cement and clinker have fallen sharply, according to the Central Bank of Nepal and the Centre for Trade and Export Promotion. Cement imports fell 83.6% in the first three months of the fiscal year,

according to the central bank. Imports in the first three months of the last fiscal year amounted to Rs 15,100 crore and the value of imports in the same period of this fiscal year was only Rs 2,485 crore. Clinker imports fell 53.1% in the first three months of this fiscal year,

according to the Nepal Trade and Export Promotion Center. Clinker worth Rs 151.6 crore was imported in the first three months of the current fiscal against Rs 323.5 crore in the same period of the previous fiscal. Although Nepal has declared self-sufficiency in cement, there are still some large-scale construction projects that need to import cement. Indian-funded construction projects have been using only Indian cement. There are 55 cement plants in

Nepal, with a production capacity of 15 million tons. The central bank's research shows that the domestic demand for cement is only 9 million tons.