Jhapa, 23 January: The Birtamod International Industrial Trade Festival has attracted increasing interest from visitors towards traditionally produced products from Jumla in Karnali to Taplejung in Koshi. Gangadevi Raut of Jumla in Karnali Province said that she has put up for sale Himalayan agricultural products including jimmu, dente okha, flour, herbal tea and other products at the festival, which is being held from 20th to 21st Magh. Her sales booth has items ranging from millet, buckwheat, maize, barley and wheat flour to marsi rice. “Since there is a lot of demand in Jhapa, I have brought the vegetables grown in my own village’s fields to sell,” said Raut. “The flour, pulses and marsi rice were sold out quickly, the stock was almost exhausted.”
Stating that food grains and legumes are produced in abundance in the mountainous districts including Jumla, Humla, Mugu, he said that there is a high demand for them in the eastern Terai districts including Jhapa. He suggested that it would be better if the local provinces and municipalities could arrange subsidies for marketing, as the transportation costs would increase due to geographical remoteness and long distance.
Sangeeta Gurung of Pokhara has put up bee honey for sale at the festival. She said that this honey was brought from Dolpa and Rukum. Her sales room also has ghee from Lekali sheep produced in the high Himalayan region of Gandaki Province. She said that bee honey is famous for its taste and medicine, so she collected it from far away and put it up for sale at the festival in Jhapa, saying that there is a rush of people buying it for small amounts of medicine.
Maya Gurung from Phungling, the headquarters of Taplejung district, has brought handicrafts made from cardamom to the festival. Cardamom is sold in the international market as the gold of the river. She said that she has been making handicrafts from its fibers and selling them for a long time. “I myself weave goods from cardamom fibers and our friends also make them,” she said. “Since people with various interests come to the fair, we have brought handicrafts made from organic materials to sell.” She said that increasing the use of goods produced using raw materials from her own village will increase the respect for the craft and production of local women as well as increase their income. She said that she also provides consultation on craft from the festival.
Khem Kumari Oli of Jhapa is training visitors to the festival on how to produce organic camphor incense. Yam Niraula, the owner of Advance Multiproduction Company in Mechinagar, has put up for sale items such as plates, bowls, glasses, spoons, duna, tapari and other items made from betel leaves. Entrepreneurs have decorated the festival by displaying various products of Nepali tea, cardamom, spices and herbs that are making an impact in the international market. Local products from all over the country have found a place in the festival and entrepreneurs are benefiting greatly from the sales, says Bishal Thapa, coordinator of the festival organizing committee.
“The main objective of the festival is to help in the marketing and promotion of local products,” he says. “There are also stalls from India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. However, there is a crowd of observers for traditional rural products within the country.” Raju Neupane, President of Birtamod Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that operators of self-employed industries have been provided with sales booths at the festival at special concessions.
Radhika Chudal Humagai, President of the group, informed that the women entrepreneurs group under the Chamber of Commerce has been selling organic snacks such as cell roti and vegetables at concessional prices. The festival, which is being run with a target of attracting 200,000 visitors, has 150 sales booths. The organizers have stated that there will be musical performances by national artists every day at the festival to attract visitors
