In the review period, the production of the processed milk industry grew by 18.6 percent, soft drink industry by 7.3 percent, cigarette industry by 6.7 percent, pashmina industry by 10.5 percent, garment industry by 8.1 percent, tablet industry by 83.5 percent, and dry syrup industry by 4.9 percent.
However, the production of animal feed declined by 3 percent, noodles by 4.5 percent, beer by 13 percent, paint by 23.5 percent, capsules by 27.8 percent, ointment by 34.9 percent, soap by 20.1 percent, and cement by 9.1 percent, according to the report. Meanwhile, the disbursement of loans by banks and financial institutions (BFIs) to the industrial sector also dipped in the first half of FY 2022/23. The BFIs' loan disbursement to industries decreased by 7.2 percent to Rs 902.87 billion in the first half of the current fiscal year compared to a growth of 24.3 percent during the corresponding period of FY 2021/22. In the first six months of the last fiscal year, BFIs disbursed a total of Rs 973.12 million to the industrial sector. According to the report, of the total loans, Kathmandu district has the highest share of 87.7 percent. The BFIs disbursed Rs 791.38 billion in loans to the industries in Kathmandu while Sindhupalchowk district has the lowest share of 0.1 percent (Rs 630 million). In the review period, the BFIs' loans to mining industries surged by 178.3 percent, the electricity sector by 16.3 percent, and the agriculture sector by 13 percent. However, loan disbursement to the construction sector fell by 51.5 percent. Though the Bagmati Province accounts for the largest share of the country's real estate business, the number of real estate registration decreased by 57.3 percent in the current fiscal year. The revenue collection from realty transactions also plunged by 64.1 percent to Rs 5.66 billion in the first half of this fiscal. Such revenue increased by 115.3 percent during the same period last year.