Mountain products: a sea of opportunities

Agricultural goods with high economic value generally fall under high value agriculture. High value products and services such as non-timber forest products, medicinal and aromatic plants, indigenous honeybees, and eco-tourism are of critical importance while considering strategic planning for community-based natural resource management and poverty alleviation programmes in mountain regions. These products and services not only support the livelihoods of the farmers, but also contribute substantially to national economies. Therefore, how we manage the region’s agricultural biodiversity will have a directly bearing on the wide range of high vale mountain products that our farmers cultivate today.

In the face of dwindling farm incomes, shrinking food grain productivity, and changes in the consumption pattern, the need to increase the production of high value crops has never been more important. And more so in the mountain communities of the HKH region, especially given the small and marginal holdings which severely curtails opportunity for commercial farming. It’s against such a backdrop why high value crops are of critical importance to our mountain farmers. Promoting high value agriculture is equally important in conserving natural resources and restoring the environment.

Fortunately, the mountains of the HKH region abound in a wide variety of high value products. The province of Gilgit-Baltistan in Pakistan and the state of Himachal Pradesh in India, for example, are known for their apricots, apples, cherries, figs, plums, peaches, pine nuts, walnuts, seabuckthorn, wild thyme, black cumin, chamomile, stevia, and salajeet. These products have continued to contribute to the livelihoods of majority of rural households. In the mountain regions of China, in the counties of Linang, Baosanchan, Dali, Diqing, and Nujiang, products such as walnut, tea, and garlic contribute substantially to the livelihoods of the farmers. Citrus fruits, particularly the mandarin orange, has been a boon to the Bhutanese farmers. It tops the list of horticultural exports from Bhutan. In 2014/15 alone, more than 25,500 MT of mandarin orange was exported to Bangladesh and over 8,900 MT to India.

Similarly, ginger is an important high value commodity in Nepal. The country produced 11.5% of world’s total ginger in 2008, becoming the fourth largest producer. In the recent times, trout farming in Sindhupalchowk district of Nepal and Hunza-Nagar in Pakistan and beekeeping in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand states of India have emerged as key livelihood options. Some of the popular high value mountain products found in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh include jhum products like foxtail millet, black and brown sticky rice, colocacia, cucurbits, cotton, beans and other legumes; bamboo and cane products; and other products like cashew nut, coffee, and mushroom.

In addition to the products mentioned above, mountain regions also have huge potential for livestock-based products like milk, wool, cheese, meat, skin, etc. as well as several forest-based products. With the growing demand for fresh as well as off-season vegetables, vegetable seeds have become another important source of income in the HKH region. The off-season vegetable production has brought economic transformation in many mountain areas of the HKH region, including the Sichuan Basin of China, India, and Nepal. Some mountain regions, where natural resource base is degrading, have high prospects for eco-tourism and non-farm products such as handicrafts.

Today, several mountain products are highly sought after in the market for their purity and nutritional value. These are often the authentic organic products grown in pristine environment with traditional techniques and know-how. The idea now must be to link mountain farmers to markets so that people’s income levels improve. There is also the need for policies and regulations for the protection, promotion, and development of quality mountain products.

At ICIMOD, one of our major focuses has been to promote these mountain products and help farmers gain access to markets through the development of related value chains. On the occasion of International Mountain Day, ICIMOD reiterates its commitment to promote mountain products for improving lives and livelihoods of mountain people.

Wishing you all a happy International Mountain Day!