Rampur: The resumption of trade with China through Shipki-La border in Himachal’s Kinnaur district would boost the sale of traditional items, generate employment, and benefit traders on both sides, traders from Himachal Pradesh said on Thursday.

They were attending the International Lavi Trade Fair in the Shimla district’s Rampur, about 130 kilometres from the state capital.

Traders, especially from Kinnaur, are keen on the resumption of the trade route, which was discontinued during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

“The sale of traditional items like woollens, Pasham (wool), and dry fruits saw a boost then, as Chinese goods would be sold in Rampur, and our goods would be sold to traders from Tibet,” Chander Mohan Negi, a trader from Kinnaur’s Nichar, said.

Another trader from Kalpa in Kinnaur, Dharam Pal Negi, also said the resumption of trade would benefit traders from both sides. “We want the trade to be resumed so that the traditional items can be exchanged and goods arrive in greater quantity,” he said.

Inaugurating the Lavi fair on Tuesday, Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla had said that he — as well as the state government — had taken up the matter with the Centre, and it was being pursued by Union Minister of Commerce Piyush Goel.

The traders from Kinnaur, who have been coming to the trade fair for the past 25-30 years, expressed concern over the impact of online sales on their business. Additionally, the closure of the trade route is gradually affecting the trade fair’s vibrancy, they said.

A large number of items, including wool, raw silk, yak hair, China clay, borax, butter, common salt, ready-made garments, shoes, quilts, blankets, carpets, and local herbal medicines, as well as animals such as horses, goats, sheep, were earlier imported from China, and drew people to buy these goods, according to traders.