Inclement Weather Affects Indo-Tibet Trade

DEHRADUN: The flourishing Indo-Tibet barter trade has hit a roadblock, not political but inclement weather coupled with heavy snowfall that has halved down the business.

The five-month-long trade, which ended in October, came down sharply to Rs 54 lakh as against last year's figure of Rs one crore, officials in Uttarakhand said.

They attributed the reason for the slump to bad weather which included rain during August and September and heavy snowfall during the last fortnight of October.

The trade, which began on June 1, got good response initially but the volumes of business remained stagnant despite efforts from both sides to boost business.

Officials at Gunji informed the Pithoragarh district authorities that five-foot-thick snow enveloped along the Kalapani-Lipulekh route which leads to the Taklakot Mart in Tibet in October which affected business.

Earlier, heavy rainfall during monsoon triggered landslides which in turn also had slowed down trade.

"Only 297 trade passes were issued this year as against the quota of 550. Due to bad weather, traders did not participate in the business," said an official.

Indian traders are also seeking lifting of the ban on Chinese raw silk and livestock which are in great demand in India. Following the growing demand of Chinese silk, the government imposed a ban to protect the interests of local silk traders in the country.