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The Bangladesh Embassy in Kathmandu, in collaboration with the Bangladesh Private Medical College Association (BPMCA), organized the Bangladesh Medical Education Fair–2026 in Kathmandu to promote medical education opportunities in Bangladesh among Nepali students.

Twenty private medical colleges from Bangladesh participated, providing information on admissions, curriculum, tuition fees, scholarships, and student life.

During the inauguration, the Ambassador of Bangladesh to Nepal highlighted the long-standing friendly relations between Bangladesh and Nepal and underscored the growing cooperation between the two countries in the field of education, particularly medical education.

He noted that Bangladesh has emerged as a trusted destination for international medical students due to its quality education, extensive clinical training, affordable tuition fees, modern medical facilities with the use of technology, and internationally recognized degrees. He stated that the course curriculum and system of examination in Bangladesh is based on the Canadian system which is better than any other South Asian country. 

He added that the similarities in language and social environment of Bangladesh and Nepal makes Nepali students more comfortable in Bangladesh while pursuing higher education. 

He further emphasized that the students get the opportunity to examine varieties of diseases which ultimately gives them good clinical knowledge. 

He pointed out that a significant number of Nepali doctors have received medical education from Bangladesh and are making valuable contributions to Nepal’s healthcare sector. Especially, the quality of post-graduate doctors is best and it’s valued all over the world. The Ambassador reiterated the Embassy’s commitment to promoting educational cooperation and enhancing people-to-people connectivity between the two friendly countries.

The fair attracted over 500 Nepali students, offering a direct platform for interaction with college representatives. On the sidelines, the BPMCA delegation met Dr. Bikash Devkota, Secretary (Health), Ministry of Health and Population of Nepal and Acting Chairman of the Nepal Medical Council.

The Kalimati Fruits and Vegetable Market Development Committee has fixed the wholesale prices of agricultural products for today.

According to the committee, the price of large Indian tomatoes has been set at Rs 105 per kg, small local tomatoes at Rs 70, small tunnel tomatoes at Rs 100, small Indian tomatoes at Rs 80, and Terai tomatoes at Rs 95 per kg. Red potatoes are priced at Rs 32 per kg, Indian red potatoes at Rs 27, and dry Indian onions at Rs 45 per kg.

Similarly, local carrots are priced at Rs 80 per kg, Terai carrots at Rs 70, local cabbage at Rs 80, Terai cabbage at Rs 55, coconut cabbage at Rs 60, local cauliflower at Rs 120, Jhyapu cauliflower at Rs 140, Terai cauliflower at Rs 100, red radish at Rs 40, white radish (local) at Rs 20, white radish (hybrid) at Rs 25, long brinjal at Rs 70, round brinjal at Rs 80, and maize beans at Rs 50 per kg.

Other vegetables include peas at Rs 70 per kg, local ghee beans at Rs 140, hybrid ghee beans at Rs 120, rajma beans at Rs 90, French beans at Rs 100, bitter gourd at Rs 180, bottle gourd at Rs 90, Terai pointed gourd at Rs 240, ridge gourd at Rs 110, ripe pumpkin at Rs 50, green pumpkin (long and round) at Rs 40, turnip at Rs 80, okra at Rs 120, sweet potato at Rs 70, yam at Rs 60, taro at Rs 65, and chayote at Rs 90 per kg.

Leafy vegetables have also been priced, with mustard greens at Rs 50 per kg, spinach at Rs 80, cress at Rs 80, fenugreek greens at Rs 80, radish greens at Rs 45, green onion at Rs 60, basil at Rs 100, yam at Rs 80, oyster mushroom at Rs 130, button mushroom at Rs 450, king oyster mushroom at Rs 300, shiitake mushroom at Rs 1,000, and asparagus at Rs 2,050 per kg.

The committee has also fixed prices of broccoli at Rs 130 per kg, beetroot at Rs 80, sajivan at Rs 420 per kg, red cabbage at Rs 100, jhiri greens at Rs 130, knol khol at Rs 70, celery at Rs 250, parsley at Rs 600, fennel greens at Rs 80, mint at Rs 400, gandhe mula at Rs 80, tamarind at Rs 180, bamboo shoots at Rs 120, tofu at Rs 150, gundruk at Rs 400, and tree tomato at Rs 260 per kg.

Among fruits, apples (Jhole) are priced at Rs 280 per kg and Fuji apples at Rs 350 per kg. Bananas are selling at Rs 180 per dozen, lemons at Rs 100 per kg, pomegranate at Rs 350, Nepali oranges at Rs 140, green watermelon at Rs 100, sweet orange at Rs 120, junar at Rs 120, and pineapple at Rs 155 per piece.

Cucumbers (local) are priced at Rs 140 per kg and hybrid cucumbers at Rs 85 per kg. Other fruits include lime at Rs 70, Chinese pear at Rs 230, Nepali papaya at Rs 70, Indian papaya at Rs 110, lapsi at Rs 120, strawberry at Rs 500, kiwi at Rs 300, and avocado at Rs 350 per kg.

Spices and other items include amla at Rs 80 per kg, ginger at Rs 100, dried chilli at Rs 420, green chilli at Rs 120, bullet chilli at Rs 125, mache chilli at Rs 90, capsicum at Rs 100, akabare chilli at Rs 650 per kg, green garlic at Rs 120, and coriander at Rs 120 per kg.

Likewise, dry Chinese garlic is priced at Rs 280 per kg, dry Nepali garlic at Rs 200, dried chayapi at Rs 160, green chayapi at Rs 200, dried fish at Rs 1,000, fresh rohu fish at Rs 340, bachuwa fish at Rs 280, and chhadi fish at Rs 250 per kg.

The national economy posted a modest year-on-year expansion in the first three months of fiscal year 2025/26, even as quarter-on-quarter indicators point to a contraction, according to the National Accounts Estimates released by the Nepal Statistics Office (NSO).

Based on seasonally unadjusted data—figures that are not corrected for seasonal patterns such as festivals or harvest cycles, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at basic prices grew by 3.02 percent in the first quarter of 2025/26 compared to the same period of the previous fiscal year. 

The year-on-year growth, however, remained relatively subdued due to contraction in several production-related activities, including food grain crops, forestry products, life insurance services, and domestically produced construction materials. Despite these pressures, growth in electricity generation and distribution, financial activities, livestock production, fruits and vegetables, trade services, and tourism inflows helped keep overall GDP growth in positive territory.

According to the NSO, estimates of seasonally unadjusted quarterly GDP are first produced on the basis of indicators related to various economic activities. Estimates of seasonally adjusted quarterly GDP are then prepared using the X-12 ARIMA method introduced by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Quarterly growth rates are calculated based on these estimates, according to the NSO, it added.

According to the estimates, all 18 industrial classifications recorded positive growth on a year-on-year basis during the quarter. This indicates a broad-based but moderate recovery when compared with the first quarter of 2024/25.

In contrast, seasonally adjusted data show that the economy contracted by 1.68 percent in the first quarter of 2025/26 compared to the fourth quarter of 2024/25. According to the NSO, this contraction reflects negative growth in 13 out of 18 industrial sectors, which outweighed modest expansion in the remaining sectors.

Among sectoral performances on a year-on-year basis based on seasonally unadjusted data, the electricity and gas sector recorded the highest growth at 14.91 percent, supported by increased power generation and distribution. This was followed by financial and insurance activities, which grew by 7.07 percent, and professional, scientific and technical services, which expanded by 5.52 percent.

The agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector—the single largest contributor to the economy—posted a growth rate of 1.36 percent. Although paddy production declined during the period, modest increases in livestock, vegetable, and fruit production helped keep overall agricultural value added in positive territory.

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles & motorcycles, the second-largest sector, was estimated to have grown by 3.89 percent year-on-year, driven by growth in domestic production of tradable goods as well as higher imports. On the lower end of the spectrum, water supply, sewerage and waste management activities recorded the weakest growth at 1.11 percent, followed closely by human health and social work activities at 1.19 percent.

Seasonally adjusted quarter-on-quarter data present a more challenging picture. During the review period, only five sectors registered positive growth, while the remaining 13 sectors experienced contraction. The electricity and gas sector again stood out with a 4.95 percent growth compared to the previous quarter.

The agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector, however, contracted by 1.65 percent . Mining and quarrying saw the sharpest decline at 10.05 percent, followed by public administration, defense and compulsory social security-related activities, which shrank by 5.95 percent.

The NSO said the negative quarter-on-quarter performance largely explains the overall contraction in seasonally adjusted GDP during the first quarter, even though year-on-year indicators remain positive.

The price of gold has increased by Rs 700 per tola in the domestic market on Friday. 

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the precious yellow metal is being traded at Rs 277, 200 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 276, 500 per tola on Thursday. 

Similarly, the price of silver has increased by Rs 160 and is being traded at Rs 5, 645 per tola today.