Commercializing Agriculture in Nepal

Narendra Kumar Gurung, JAICA

Agriculture is the backbone of Nepalese economy since it is single most important sector which generates 65% employment opportunities and contributes about 39% to the GDP. With the wave of globalization making every sector more competitive today, Nepalese agriculture, too, is facing varieties of challenges and opportunities at the same time. Like many other developing countries, Nepal’s subsistence type of agriculture faces tremendous challenges as the country is slowly heading towards commercial and market-oriented future.

Needless to say, agriculture is another feather in Nepal’s cap after being home to Mount Everest, birth place of Lord Buddha and the country of hills and mountains. Despite these facts, how to make the agriculture sector more competitive and popularize our products in the global market is a matter of great concern for all, especially at a time when the neighboring countries have already become economic powerhouse.

Keeping all this in mind, the 5th National Agro Trade Fair was held in Kathmandu from March 9 to 11 with the theme of “Commercialization in Agriculture, Food Security and Income Generation” to make Nepal’s agriculture sector more commercially competitive. Around 140 agro entrepreneurs, farmer groups and agricultural cooperatives took part in the fair bringing with them agricultural products from the rural hinterland to the Capital city defying physical barriers. As long as agriculture remains merely subsistence in nature the country can’t prosper. But if Nepali products were to reach the market—local or national— among other things, prices should be competitive that match with the quality of rival products.

The trade fair aimed at providing information of feasible agri-business linkages to the prospective entrepreneurs, promote agricultural commodities to the mass, enhance the public-private collaboration, and also hold discussions among the policymakers and other stakeholders. Agro entrepreneurs as well as farmers, who brought their products in the trade fair, had valuable time sharing their experiences among the exhibitors.

JICA with its long and rich experiences on agriculture in Nepal had a privilege to be the diamond sponsor to organize this fair in collaboration with Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives and Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Presently, JICA volunteers (JOCV and SV) are working in the field of agriculture and cooperatives in Nepal also took part in the agro trade fair. Three of their exhibitions were related to the new methods of mushroom cultivation, organic manure preparation and Integrated Pest Management. Besides, the trade fair turned out to be a good opportunity for policymakers, top government officials, agro entrepreneurs and farmers to thoroughly discussion various nagging issues from commercialization of agriculture to export promotion.

While observing the stalls, anybody could find agro entrepreneurs quite optimistic to address the challenges enveloping the agriculture sector. It is said that Nepal imports agricultural goods worth Rs 50 billion every year. If such agro trade fair can be regularly organized Nepalese agriculture would be more marked- oriented and competitive, which could ultimately substitute imported products.