Exploratory assessment of the export potential of Sudurpashchim Province, Nepal

Background

Sudurpashchim Province is located in the western-most region of Nepal, bordering the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and India’s Uttarakhand in the west and Uttar Pradesh in the south. The province is endowed with rich natural resources. Almost 60% of the province is covered with forests. Agriculture and forestry are the largest sectors, contributing to 37% of the province’s GDP in 2019/20. More than a third of the province’s population is living below the poverty line. About three-fourths of the employed population is engaged in agriculture. Collection and trade of non-timber forest products is also an important source of household income, contributing up to 12% of total annual household income in Baitadi district and up to 20% in Darchula and Dadeldhura districts.

In 2020, the Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative (KSLCDI) partnered with South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment (SAWTEE) and the Ministry of Industry, Trade, Forest and Environment (MoITFE), Sudurpaschim Province, to study the export potential of agriculture and non-timber forest products in the province. This workshop is being organized to share the study’s findings with stakeholders and to chart a path forward to boost the trade potential of Sudurpaschim Province.

Objectives

• Validate findings of the assessment with stakeholders
• Refine the assessment’s recommendations
• Discuss a way forward for enhancing the trade potential of Sudurpashchim Province

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