On 15 November 2024, according to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce website, the Nepalese government imposed honey import restrictions.
The former president of the Federation of Nepalese Beekeepers (FNB) said that there was a total backlog of 3,145 tonnes of honey stock when the import restriction was not imposed, and now only 1,200 tonnes of honey stock remains unsold. He said there are 160,000 honey bee hives and 170,000 Serena smart hives in the country, with an annual production capacity of about 4,900 tonnes, and that 9,200 tonnes of honey is consumed by Nepali consumers annually. The former and current presidents of the federation, who are not in favour of liberalising import restrictions, said that domestically produced honey could not compete with cheap Indian honey and that a 60 per cent tariff was necessary if import restrictions were to be lifted.