Kathmandu, Jan. 5 -- The expiry of the Nepal Trade Preference Programme (NTPP) provided by the United States is unlikely to have a serious impact on Nepal's overall exports to the US, as shipments under the facility remained limited throughout its operation, trade experts said.

The NTPP expired in December.

The programme was introduced by the US Congress under the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 to support Nepal's economic recovery following the devastating earthquakes that year.

Under the scheme, the US granted duty-free market access for a 10-year period to 77 Nepali products, including 56 textile items, 10 footwear products, nine clothing items and two fodder manufacturing products.

"Exports to the US account f...