Gangtok, Nov. 28: Sikkimese businessmen dominated trade through Nathu-la as the bilateral initiative between the hill state and Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) of China completes its second year on November 30.
Trading through the mountain pass, located at a height of 14,400ft, will close on Friday for the year. The route had been opened for business this year on May 1 and the time frame has been extended to November through a central government directive.
According to official figures available from the Sikkim commerce and industries department, exports from the state from May to October stood at Rs 20.6 lakh. The import figures were comparatively much less at Rs 6.8 lakh. The trade transactions for the month of November are yet to be detailed. There was no transaction from the Chinese side in the months of May and September.
Rice was the most exported item to TAR and comprised 70 per cent of the total transactions, officials said.
Tea came a distant second as it raked in Rs 25,000 per month on average.
Raw silk was the most imported item from TAR by Sikkimese traders while sheep wool was also imported in lesser quantities. Yak tail, which is used for religious purposes here, was imported once in the month of June worth Rs 32,950. While 29 items are exported from Sikkim, only 15 items are allowed to be imported from TAR.
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