Entrepreneurs have asked the government to take immediate corrective measures to stop this proliferating trade, which is slowly destroying the Nepali honey export business. This is because a wrong message about the quality of Nepali honey in the international market.

During a press conference organized recently, Nepal Bee Farmers Association (NBFA), informed about the ongoing export of low quality honey to major American and European markets, which are illegally imported from China, and India as well, as unrefined honey.

The current duty rate for the unrefined honey is only 1%, which is far less than the 10% levied on other honey products. This discrepancy in custom rate is one of the major reasons for the increase in this illegal activity, which is not only harming the local business but also causing millions of revenue loss to the government.

According to Sanjeev Pokharel, general secretary of NBFA, more than 80% of total honey produced in Nepal comes from jungle, which are far bettering quality than the domestically produced in Nepal comes from jungle, which are far better in quality than the domestically produced ones. Hence, Nepali honey are very popular among the international customers and there is huge potential to market.

The domestic market accounts for only 30% of the country’s total honey production. This is an indication of how , the local farmers are dependent on the international consumption.

Minstry of agriculture and Cooperatives, aiming to encourage farmers of Illam, Sunsari, Morang, Saptari, Morang, Saptari, Bhojpur, Udaypur and Panchthar districts to adopt silk farming, has been providing subsidies on silk seeds and pesticides.Chief at the SPC, Durga Narayan Chaudhary said that if promising security were provided to the SPC workers and skilled employees were recruited, we would be able extend our programs to other districts as well.
Officials of the center say that over 5000 farmers will be able to adopt silk farming as their profession, if the program is introduced among interested farmers. Farmers will never go on loss, as India has emerged as a viable market to sell our products.

The exports during the first two years were relatively okay. Out of the annual total 100,000 metric tones quota, which enjoys duty-free market access to India, Nepal has so far exported only 52,000 tonnes for the fiscal year 2003-04 that ended on March 31.Considering the problems, India has extended export period for the remaining 48000 MT. But the exports has not resumed till date as the Indian manufacturers have challenged the state-designated authorities citing the Nepali exports are hitting local industries. Most of the Nepali vanaspati ghee industries here are compelled to scale-down their production to 30% of their total output capacity after facing export problem. The association has been asking for the government to intervene on the issues like over taxation by the states in India and canalization by the Indian agency instead of monitoring the imports. It has also asked to review the service charge by State Trading Corporation.

The vanaspati ghee is the largest Nepali exportable commodity to India. The annual turnover of the ghee worth Rs 5.5 billion, while the investment in the industry stands over Rs 3 billion.

The landscape, soil and climate of 15 VDCs in the district including Loharpani, Saigha, Syuja, Kavre, Hanshipur, Rampur, Lakshmipur, Hapure and others in the Mahabharat range is said to be favourable for the cultivation of ginger. The office has been providing technical and other sorts of assistance to the ginger farmers apart from the organisation of training and seminars in the district, it is said. Different ginger farmers groups have been formed in the VDCs with a view to encouraging the farmers to its cultivation and solving the problems, according to National Ginger Crop Research Center, Kapurkot. PPDs Ghoraj, Micro-Entrepreneurs Center, Dang and National Crop Research Center jointly have made available 8 ginger drier in the district.

The twice–a-week market at Kapurkot collects vegetables like cauliflower, tomato, cabbage, Bhede Khorsani, and fruits from various VDCs in salyan as well as from Jinwawang VDC of Rolpa district. The brokers who come to the weekly market to purchase the local farmers produce are said to be making more profit than the farmers.

The Salyan district development committee and the agriculture development office has constructed storage and sales center at the bazaar which as helped the farmers to sale and buy agro-products.

Homnath Dahal, Minister for Agriculture, said that the restatement of subsidies is the primary agenda , as their revocation has cost domestic agriculture and farmers heavily. The change in subsidy policy is being pushed following the realization that a seven-year subsidy-free regime largely eroded farmers’ competitiveness and left their position untenable, even in the local market.

According to Dahal, the government is planning to introduce state-sponsorship of small irrigation projects in the upcoming budget. Community irrigation projects to be run through rainwater harvesting in the mid-hills, will be supported. The government would expedite construction of roads to link identified agricultural production pockets with markets. The upcoming budget will also look to promote agro-based industry. The government is also looking to establish ‘allo’ (used to produce clothes which are in high demand in EU) collection centers in various parts of the country.

The government is planning to announce a sheep-farming program, so that wool can be produced locally to support the carpet industry. Upgrading of quarantine labs, as per WTO requirements, is another focus area of the upcoming budget.

The bank provides tea loans at a rate of 10 percent annual interest. There are provisions for discounted rates on monthly and yearly payment of interest. But the tea farmers are in no position to pay interest in regular installments on the seven-year loans. The new loan scheme will not benefit the tea farmers, claimed Rajendra Jawegu, President of the Small Tea Farmers Association.

Though their was timely rainfall this season, there is a high possibility that
more than five thousand hectares of land will remain barren due to the Maoist Insurgency and the lack of laborers.

This year only fifty hectares have been sown, instead of sixty hectares. Landowners displaced by the insurgency have not yet returned to their villages for rice plantation. Laborers who left for employment in India have yet to return.

Dr Shyam Kishor Shah, Director of the Agriculture Development Office, said that Raghutahpur, Dhanushadham and Kharihani, among others, are also severely affected by Maoist insurgency.

The newly elected chairman of one of the VDCs, said that more than 25 % of the land will remain barren this year as increasing numbers of people are shifting to secure areas. Even if rice is planted, there are few to tend it.

Following the Court’s decision, the STC has taken steps to develop a new mechanism to import Nepali vegetable ghee. In a new mechanism, the STC will present itself as sole importer of Nepali vegetable ghee and function as an import-channeling body.

Under its monitoring role, the Cooperation was allowing its associated dealers to import the product against a specified commission. This practice was declared illegal by The Kolkata High Court.

The STC is currently working out its operational modality and will forward a business proposal to Nepali exporters accordingly. Ghee imports will only resume when the proposal is agreed upon.

Vegetable ghee has been suspended for over three months since Indian manufacturers filed the case against the STC. In the meantime , the Indian government has formally informed the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies (MoICS) that it has pledged an additional three months time for Nepali vegetable ghee exporters to utilize the export quota of 100,000 tons.

Nepal has so far exported about52,000 tons of vegetable ghee to India this year. The Nepali-India Trade Treaty mention that10,000 tons of Nepali vegetable ghee may enjoy duty-free market access to India annually.

The deadline to utilize the quota has been extended till September, but the STC, the import authorizing agency, has been non-operational for the last three months. The STC might take about a month’s time to resume its operations, leaving them just about two months to utilize the remaining quota.

The Indian Government has appointed STC to oversee the ghee imports from Nepal.

Ginger processing training for women held in Rasuwa
RASUWA, June 16

A seven day training about ginger processing held by Women Development Branch, Rasuwa for the women of poor and downtrodden families concluded at Dhunche recently.

Altogether 15 women including five each from Thulopauwa, Lahare Pauwa and Bhorle VDCs of the district participated in the training. The training was organized with the aim of promoting the economic status of women through ginger related occupations.

The women were trained about making different edible items and flavouring powder of ginger at commercial level. Different instruments necessary to run the occupation of producing pickle, sauce, powder, candy and other items of ginger were provided to the women at the concluding programme.