Sindhupalchok, May 15 -- Nepal's Tatopani border point with China has fallen unusually quiet in recent weeks after a new customs restriction abruptly halted the small-scale cross-border trade that sustained hundreds of families in the area.

The daily movement of local residents carrying bags of goods from the Chinese border town of Zhangmu has almost disappeared following a ban on bringing in food and plant-based products without quarantine clearance.

The Tatopani Customs Office said the restrictions were imposed at the Miteri Bridge passenger checkpoint after the government tightened enforcement of food and plant quarantine rules.

The move has effectively shut down the informal trade, a long-standing practice in which locals crossed t...