Nepal Imports Laptops Worth Rs 7.72 Billion in Last FY, Sales Surged up to 70% due to Pandemic

The purchase of laptops saw a massive rise in the fiscal year 2020/2021. According to the Department of Customs, laptops worth Rs 7.72 billion have been imported in the last fiscal year 2020/21. The dealers say that the sales surged by around 70 percent to 80 percent during the pandemic.

Sales of laptops have shot to the highest level in 2021, says Yogesh Roy, vice-president, sales, Neoteric Nepal, authorized dealer of Dell laptops in Nepal.

“However, we could not supply the laptops as per the demand,” says Roy. According to him, the demand went high up to 100 percent.

According to worldwide reports, Covid created pressures of higher demand and lower supply. The shortage of semiconductors across the world caused a lower supply of laptops, phones and automobiles.

The price of laptops has also gone up with the shutdown due to the coronavirus outbreak.

“The increased cost of flight tickets and increased price in the international market created pressure on the price of laptops in the retail market,” says Super Shrestha, sales manager, Nagmani International, authorized dealer of Asus Laptops in Nepal.

“We ordered the laptops even at a higher price to meet the demand of customers during the pandemic. This helped us to fulfill the consumer demand during the time of crisis,” shares Shrestha. The demand for laptops went up by 60-70 percent during the pandemic.

ALSO READ: NTA Studying the Possibility of Refurbishing and Assembling Phone Sets in Nepal

After the constant surge for about one and half years, the sales are gradually coming back to normal from mid-August, he says. The sudden shift to work from home and remote learning in schools and colleges have resulted in an increase in the demand for laptops.

Data: Laptops Import in Nepal

Students of schools and colleges were the major buyers during the pandemic, the distributors say. According to Shrestha and Roy, laptops ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000 are the most demanded laptops in the market. i3 and i5 laptops are the highly sold laptops in Nepal, share both the dealers.

According to data from the Department of Customs, 93 percent of laptops are imported from China. Other major exporters countries for laptops in Nepal are Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, Japan and the US.