Dhorpatan (Bagalung), 20 November: Pickle making training has been provided to the women of Kathekhola Rural Municipality of Baglung to make them independent. Women have been trained to make pickles from locally produced vegetables and fruits. After training about 200 women from four wards in collaboration with Kathekhola Rural Municipality and Nepal Gaza Development Foundation, now they have started making pickles professionally.
Kathekhola Rural Municipality-3 Dhamja, Ward No. 5 Bihun, Ward No. 7 Resh and Ward No. 8 Lekhani have been trained, said Raju Thapa, Chairman of the Rural Municipality. According to him, he learned to make pickles from locally produced vegetables such as chillies, radishes, carrots, garlic, ginger, lemons and bitter gourds.
President Thapa said, “After many citizens migrated and the market fell, now only ordinary people are living in the village. We have started giving them various trainings to connect them with income generation and make them entrepreneurs. Since the pickle making training is more effective, we have given it to women in all four wards. The training will make women entrepreneurs.”
Rejina Hamal of Kathekhola Rural Municipality-3 said that earlier the vegetables produced in the village were wasted, but now after training the rural municipality, they have started making pickles and selling them. She says that the pickle making training is more effective than other training provided by the municipality.
“Bitter gourd grows in abundance in our garden. It used to go to waste because we could not eat all. Now, after training, we feel that there is no need to waste anything from chilly, radish, chayote. After training, now we do housework in the morning and evening and make pickles in our free time”. Hamal said, “tasty pickle is ready in 10-12 days, now we have planned to make it and send it to the market.”
Jamuna Shrees of Kathekhola-8 said that you can earn good income from pickles. Stating that many vegetables were wasted until now because they did not learn the skills, she said that after receiving the training, she started producing pickles commercially. She says that it does not take much time and money to make pickles, but the income can be considerable.
Benefits
Training rural women to make pickles is an empowering initiative in Nepal, promoting economic self-reliance and fostering entrepreneurship. Here’s how such programs benefit the economy and society:
1. Economic Empowerment
- Income Generation: Pickle-making is a low-cost, high-demand business. Women can sell homemade pickles locally or export them, providing a steady income.
- Value Addition: Utilizing locally grown fruits and vegetables enhances their market value.
2. Skill Development
- Training Programs: Workshops focus on pickle recipes, hygiene standards, preservation techniques, and packaging.
- Business Skills: Women learn budgeting, pricing, and marketing strategies.
3. Community Development
- Cooperatives: Groups of women can form cooperatives to scale production, negotiate better prices, and share resources.
- Employment Creation: Growing businesses create jobs within local communities.
4. Cultural Preservation
- Promotes traditional Nepali flavors and recipes, making them accessible to broader markets.
5. Challenges and Opportunities
- Access to Markets: Support is needed to connect rural producers with urban or international buyers.
- Infrastructure: Providing tools and equipment for bulk production enhances output.
Such programs not only improve individual livelihoods but also contribute to Nepal’s overall rural development and economic growth.
