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Honey production has decreased by 1,070 tons in 2081 BS compared to the previous year. 

A total of 4,945 tons of honey were produced in 2080 BS whereas the production has decreased to 3,875 tons in 2081.

President of the Nepal Beekeepers Federation,  Subash Chandra Ghimire, said the decline in honey production this year is due to the lack of sale of honey the previous year, disputes over grazing areas, uncontrolled use of pesticides, increase in the price of beekeeping equipments, expensive transportation, and the sale of fake honey and adulterated honey.

However, the number of beekeepers has increased compared to the previous year. Last year, 8,100 farmers were involved in beekeeping but this number increased to 8,398 farmers in 2081. 

The number of farmers raising domesticated Serena bees has increased. The number of farmers raising this breed of bees was 6,135 last year but increased to 6,830 in 2081, he said.

Meanwhile, the number of commercial beekeepers has decreased from 1,965 to 1,568 in 2081. They have been raising mellifera bees. 

The Federation has stated that there was a stock of 197 tons of honey in 2081 BS compared to 3,143 tons in 2080 BS.

The price of gold has dropped by Rs 800 per tola in the domestic market on Friday.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal is being traded at Rs 189, 800 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 190, 600 per tola on Thursday.

The price of silver, however, has remained constant. According to the Association, the silver is being traded at Rs 1, 960 per tola.

The country’s first tunnel project, the Nagdhunga-Sisnekhola Tunnel, has faced yet another delay despite being extended for the third time. Construction was stalled for nearly a month due to local obstruction, and officials say the project can only be completed on time if the contractor significantly accelerates the pace of work. Tunnel construction resumed recently, despite ongoing protests. 

Work had been halted on 17 March 2025, due to local resistance and was resumed 26 days later under police protection, according to Senior Divisional Engineer Sanjay Panthi. “Construction resumed in the presence of the Armed Police Force and District Police, but locals are still shouting slogans and staging demonstrations,” Panthi said. Given the month-long halt, it is now uncertain whether the project can be completed by the latest deadline of 23 Oct 2025. Panthi said that the delay might push the timeline back by another month, and the contractor may request an extension accordingly.

Originally, the project was scheduled to be completed by 26 April 2023. It was first delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and local obstructions, pushing the deadline to 27 April 2024. A second extension brought it to the current Oct 2025 target. Panthi noted that local residents have made multiple demands, including compensation for houses above the tunnel, free drinking water until the project’s completion, post-project employment, and fair land compensation. “We have already addressed the compensation issue and other legitimate demands, but new demands keep emerging. That’s why we had to resume work with police assistance,” he said.

The tunnel project was launched to ease traffic congestion on the heavily jammed Naubise-Kathmandu section of the Tribhuvan Highway. It includes a 2,688-meter main tunnel stretching from Sisnekhola in Nagdhunga Bhanjyang to Chandragiri Municipality-3 in Kathmandu district, along with 565 meters of western access road and 2,307 meters to the east. The foundation stone was laid by then-Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on 21 Oct 2019, following an agreement signed on 23 Sept 2019, between the Roads Department and Japan’s Hazama-Ando JV.

The Rs 22bn project is being executed by Hazama-Ando JV and is funded through a Rs 16.8bn loan from Japan’s JICA. The rescue tunnel has already been completed. As part of the project, a 2.3 km paved road will be built from Tribhuvan Highway in Thankot to Basnet Chap, and another 565 meters from Sisnekhola in Dhunibesi toward Dhading. The main tunnel, stretching from Dahachowk to Sisnekhola, will be 2.688 kilometers long, 9.5 meters wide, and 18 meters high. Once operational, it will reduce the travel time between Thankot and Sisnekhola to just three minutes, saving at least 30 minutes of the usual journey and shortening the route by eight kilometers. It will make it possible to reach Naubise from Thankot in just 10 minutes.

Engineer Panthi stated that the project is now 88 percent complete, six years after construction began. Following flood damage to the Naubise road last September, traffic had to be rerouted through the partially completed tunnel.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) gained 28.97 points to close at 2,725.20 points on Thursday.

Similarly, the sensitive index surged by 6.65 points to close at 458. 47 points.

A total of 23,773,731-unit shares of 311 companies were traded for Rs 10. 79 billion.

Meanwhile, Nepal Micro Insurance Company Limited (NMIC) was the top gainer today, with its price surging by 10. 00 percent.

Likewise, 10% NIC Asia Debenture 2085/86 (NICAD85/86) was the top loser as its price fell by 4.79 percent.

At the end of the day, total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 52 trillion.