Executive trade assessment
Nepal–Brunei: a small but demonstrably diversified niche trade corridor
Diplomatic relations began on 3 February 1984. Public merchandise records show intermittent Nepal-origin shipments to Brunei, with a sharp 2023 rise led by carpets and pulses, followed by a smaller 2024 flow concentrated in edible vegetables/roots and cereal-based food preparations.
3 Feb 1984Diplomatic relations established
US$112,874.91Brunei imports from Nepal, 2023
US$9.91KBrunei imports from Nepal, 2024
455,500Brunei population, 2024
Evidence boundary. UN Comtrade/WITS merchandise data does not constitute a complete bilateral services-trade history. The service opportunities below are market-fit opportunities based on Brunei’s priority sectors—not claims that those services were historically exported from Nepal to Brunei. Historical merchandise categories shown are categories located and verified in public records during this review; very small older lines may exist outside the indexed pages available here.
Verified trade evidence
Trade value + physical volume where publicly reported
Chapter-level values show the bilateral pattern; item-level lines supply quantity/size when WITS reports a physical unit. Subrows are components of their parent chapter and must not be added again to totals.
| Year | HS / category | Trade value (USD) | Verified quantity / size | Evidence / note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | TOTAL merchandise imports from Nepal | US$9.91K | — | UN Comtrade-derived summary |
| 2024 | HS 07 — Edible vegetables, roots & tubers | US$9.09K | Not exposed in inspected HS-2 summary | ≈91.7% of 2024 total |
| 2024 | HS 19 — Cereal/flour/starch/milk preparations & products | US$825 | Not exposed in inspected HS-2 summary | ≈8.3% of 2024 total |
| 2023 | TOTAL merchandise imports from Nepal | US$112,874.91 | — | TrendEconomy / UN Comtrade |
| 2023 | HS 57 — Carpets & textile floor coverings | US$75.85K | Chapter quantity not shown in summary | Parent chapter value |
| 2023 | ↳ HS 570110 — Wool carpets / textile floor coverings | US$58.12K | 127 m² | Item-level verified |
| 2023 | HS 07 — Edible vegetables, roots & tubers | At least US$34.53K located at HS 071390 | 19,525 kg (HS 071390) | Dried leguminous vegetables, shelled, n.e.s. |
| 2023 | HS 62 — Non-knit apparel & clothing accessories | US$0.97K | Multiple item units | Includes verified nightwear and shawl/scarf lines |
| 2023 | ↳ HS 620721 — Men’s/boys’ cotton nightshirts & pyjamas | US$0.61K | 145 items | Item-level verified |
| 2023 | ↳ HS 621490 — Shawls, scarves, mufflers, mantillas & veils, other textiles | US$0.29K | 65 items | Item-level verified |
| 2023 | HS 61 — Knitted/crocheted apparel & clothing accessories | US$0.59K | Multiple item units | Includes verified cotton T-shirt and knit blouse lines |
| 2023 | ↳ HS 610910 — Cotton T-shirts, singlets & vests | US$0.43K | 72 items | Item-level verified |
| 2023 | ↳ HS 610610 — Women’s/girls’ cotton knit blouses | US$0.16K | 23 items | Item-level verified |
| 2023 | HS 83 — Miscellaneous base-metal articles | US$0.32K | 32 kg (HS 830610) | Verified line: bells, gongs & similar base-metal articles |
| 2023 | HS 71 — Precious/semi-precious materials & imitation jewellery | US$0.15K | Quantity not reported | Chapter-level verified |
| 2023 | HS 48 — Paper/paperboard packaging | US$0.14K (HS 481910 located) | 10 kg | Corrugated cartons, boxes & cases |
| 2023 | HS 44 — Wood & wooden articles | US$0.01K (HS 4421 located) | 2 kg | Other wooden articles, n.e.s. |
| 2022 | TOTAL merchandise imports from Nepal | US$16,242.71 | — | TrendEconomy / UN Comtrade |
| 2017 | HS 441510 — Wooden cases, boxes, crates, drums & similar packing | US$2.48K | 500 items | Item-level verified |
Values shown as “K” reflect the source’s rounded display. Chapter and item lines overlap; do not sum component rows into bilateral totals. Reporter-side import data are generally CIF and may differ from Nepal exporter-side FOB values.
Category strategy
Documented Nepal-origin categories + expansion categories to test
Publicly documented in bilateral merchandise records reviewed
HS 07Vegetables, roots, tubers & pulses2023–2024 evidence
HS 19Cereal/flour/starch/milk food preparations2024 evidence
HS 57Carpets & textile floor coveringsMajor 2023 category
HS 61Knitted/crocheted apparel2023
HS 62Non-knit apparel, shawls & nightwear2023
HS 71Jewellery / precious & semi-precious materials2023
HS 83Base-metal crafts including bells/gongs2023
HS 48Paper & corrugated packaging2023
HS 44Wood & wooden packing/articles2017 + 2023 evidence
Market-fit categories to test next — not historical-export claims
Premium tea, coffee & spicesCheck food registration / Halal requirements
Herbal & natural wellness goodsCheck product-specific approvals
Felt, pashmina & artisan home décorBoutique / hospitality buyer fit
Handmade paper & sustainable giftingCorporate / event gifting
Specialty packaged foodsCheck food registration / Halal requirements
Hospitality textiles & décorHotel / resort procurement
ICT & digital servicesAligned with Brunei priority sector
Training, design & professional servicesAligned with Brunei priority sector
Tourism collaboration & destination servicesAligned with Brunei priority sector
Buyer–seller ecosystem
Business categories to recruit on both sides
🇳🇵 Nepal-side seller / service-provider targets
- Pulse, vegetable and specialty-agriculture exporters / cooperatives
- Carpet, rug, felt and pashmina manufacturers/export houses
- Packaged-food, cereal, bakery-mix, tea, coffee and spice producers
- Garment, shawl, knitwear and lifestyle-textile manufacturers
- Jewellery, singing-bowl, bell, metal-craft and artisan producers
- Handmade paper, corrugated packaging and wooden-craft/packing suppliers
- Freight forwarders, consolidators, customs agents and export-finance partners
- ICT, digital marketing, design, training and professional-service firms
🇧🇳 Brunei-side buyer / channel targets
- Importers, distributors, wholesalers and specialty-food buyers
- Supermarkets, specialty grocers and e-commerce retailers
- Hotels, hospitality groups, restaurants, caterers and institutional buyers
- Carpet, interior-design, furniture, home décor and contract-procurement firms
- Fashion boutiques, modest-fashion retailers and corporate-gifting buyers
- Halal compliance advisers, food-registration specialists and laboratories
- Logistics companies, customs brokers, warehousing and last-mile operators
- ICT customers, training providers, tourism operators and professional-service buyers
Potential collaboration individuals & institutional gateways
People whose institutional roles make them relevant outreach points
These names are listed as potential institutional outreach contacts based on publicly verified current roles. This is not an endorsement, affiliation, or indication that any person has agreed to participate in Made in Nepal, Brunei Center.
H.E. Udaya Raj Pandey
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary (Designate), Embassy of Nepal in Kuala Lumpur, listed by Brunei MFA for Nepal
Gateway for diplomatic/commercial introductions involving Nepal and Brunei.
Verify sourceH.E. Siti Arnyfariza Binti Haji Mohd Jaini
High Commissioner of Brunei Darussalam in New Delhi; the mission is accredited to Nepal
Gateway for Brunei–Nepal diplomatic and business-visit facilitation.
Verify sourceNavin Raj Sharma
Acting Executive Director, Trade and Export Promotion Centre (TEPC), Nepal
Export statistics, trade promotion and exporter engagement.
Verify sourceAnjan Shrestha
President, Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FNCCI), 2026–2029
Nepal private-sector mobilization and chamber-to-chamber engagement.
Verify sourceHaji Abdul Saman bin Haji Ahmad
President, National Chamber of Commerce and Industry Brunei Darussalam (NCCIBD); ASEAN-BAC member
Brunei private-sector introductions, MSME and trade-network engagement.
Verify sourceHaji Musa bin Haji Adnin
Managing Director, Adinin Group of Companies; ASEAN Business Advisory Council Brunei member/chair roles
Business-network and ASEAN private-sector connectivity.
Verify sourceMarket-entry playbook
How Nepal exporters should approach Brunei
1. Validate HS code & landed dutyUse Brunei’s tariff/trade-information tools. Do not assume ASEAN/ATIGA preferences apply to Nepal-origin goods.
2. Pre-clear food / Halal issuesFor food and relevant consumer goods, verify registration, permit and Halal requirements before production or labeling.
3. Recruit a local importer/channelPrioritize buyers that already distribute into supermarkets, hospitality, specialty retail or institutional procurement.
4. Start with samples / consolidated lotsThe bilateral volumes are small; test product-market fit before scaling inventory.
5. Localize pricing & documentationQuote landed economics, shelf life, MOQ, carton configuration, origin documentation and buyer-ready product data.
6. Expand from proven nichesUse carpets, pulses, food preparations and apparel evidence as anchors for adjacent category outreach.
Services pathway. Brunei’s economic strategy prioritizes food, tourism, ICT and services alongside downstream activities. Nepal-based ICT, design, training, tourism-support and professional-service firms can target these sectors, but contracts should be documented separately from merchandise trade statistics.
Directory & lead capture
Build the Nepal–Brunei buyer | seller | Affiliate Members directory
Invite exporters, manufacturers, importers, distributors, institutional buyers, logistics partners, professional-service providers, chambers, advisers and affiliate members to register their interest for the Nepal–Brunei corridor.
ExportFromNepal.nepalbrunei.club — Contact Us / Directory Registration
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Research references
Clickable source library
Priority is given to official government, World Bank WITS/UN Comtrade-derived, chamber and institutional sources. Access dates and database revisions can change displayed figures.
- Nepal Ministry of Foreign Affairs — Bilateral Relations (Nepal–Brunei, 3 Feb 1984)
- Brunei Ministry of Foreign Affairs — Nepal / Embassy of Nepal accreditation
- Brunei High Commission, New Delhi — accredited to Nepal
- Trading Economics — Brunei imports from Nepal, UN Comtrade-derived 1992–2024 series
- TrendEconomy — Brunei total imports by partner, 2023 (Nepal US$112,874.91)
- TrendEconomy — Brunei total imports by partner, 2022 (Nepal US$16,242.71)
- World Bank WITS — HS 570110 wool carpets from Nepal, 2023 (US$58.12K; 127 m²)
- World Bank WITS — HS 071390 dried leguminous vegetables from Nepal, 2023 (US$34.53K; 19,525 kg)
- World Bank WITS — HS 610910 cotton T-shirts from Nepal, 2023 (US$0.43K; 72 items)
- World Bank WITS — HS 610610 cotton knit blouses, Brunei from Nepal, 2023 (US$0.16K; 23 items)
- World Bank WITS — HS 620721 cotton nightwear from Nepal, 2023 (US$0.61K; 145 items)
- World Bank WITS — HS 621490 shawls/scarves from Nepal, 2023 (US$0.29K; 65 items)
- World Bank WITS — HS 830610 bells/gongs from Nepal, 2023 (US$0.32K; 32 kg)
- World Bank WITS — HS 481910 corrugated cartons/boxes from Nepal, 2023 (US$0.14K; 10 kg)
- World Bank WITS — HS 441510 wooden packing from Nepal, 2017 (US$2.48K; 500 items)
- World Bank WITS — HS 71 jewellery/precious-material chapter imports from Nepal, 2023
- Brunei DEPS — Statistical Yearbook 2024 (population and GDP)
- Royal Customs and Excise Department — Customs Taxes / import duties
- Brunei Trade — tariff, procedures and trade-information portal
- Brunei Manpower Blueprint 2024 — five economic priority sectors
- Trade and Export Promotion Centre (TEPC), Nepal
- FNCCI — Executive Committee 2026–2029
- ASEAN Business Advisory Council — Brunei council members
- Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Development — NCCIBD member profile
Method & limitations
How to read this research
- Import statistics are used as the primary mirror measure of Nepal-origin merchandise received by Brunei. Import values can differ from Nepal-reported exports because of CIF/FOB valuation, timing, re-exports, classification and revisions.
- The public summaries reviewed expose strong evidence for the categories listed, but do not guarantee that every micro-value historical HS line since 1984 is indexed in search results. A paid/full UN Comtrade extract should be used before describing the list as legally exhaustive.
- Physical quantities are shown only where WITS publicly reports a unit. No quantity was inferred from trade value.
- Services opportunities are strategic market targets, not historical bilateral services-export statistics.
- Tariffs, licensing and Halal requirements are product-specific; verify the current HS line and rules before contracting or shipping.