Back to news
23 Mar 2022 | Press releases

Assured markets for yak dairy products to sustain an age-old herding culture in the Kangchenjunga Landscape

This press statement is prepared for release after the agreement signing between Surketham Dairy Cooperative Limited (SDCL), Nepal Dairy Pvt. Ltd. (NDPL), and ICIMOD on 23 March 2022, Wednesday.

1 min Read

70% Complete
Yak value chain development and market linkage under Kangchenjunga Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative Signing Letter of Intent between, Surketham Dairy Cooperative Limited (SDCL) Falelung, Panchthar, Nepal Dairy Pvt. Ltd. (NDPL) Hattiban, Lalitpur and International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) Khumaltar, Lalitpur on 23 March 2022 at ICIMOD. Photo: Jitendra Raj Bajracharya/ICIMOD.

On 23 March 2022, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Surketham Dairy Cooperative Limited (SDCL), and Nepal Dairy Pvt. Ltd (NDPL) signed a tripartite agreement to promote yak dairy enterprise that can sustain the age-old yak herding culture in the highlands of Eastern Nepal.

The initiative aims to develop a viable yak-based business model to generate attractive and sustainable employment opportunities for rural youth in the Kangchenjunga Landscape of Nepal. Pema Gyamtsho, Director General, ICIMOD, Heramba B. Rajbhandary, Executive Chairman, NDPL, and Maita Bahadur Libang, Chairperson, SDCL signed the LoI.

Challenges imposed by climate change and socioeconomic drivers have reduced interest in yak herding. In 2009, the Surketham Dairy Cooperative Limited, an institution formed by the yak and cattle farmers in Panchthar district, Nepal, ventured into yak dairy processing. The cooperative, however, has not been able to succeed due to its limited capacity to link up with the markets.

Motivated by the mission to save yaks and yak farming culture from extinction and showcase their economic viability, the Kangchenjunga Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative (KLCDI) under ICIMOD approached NDPL for a partnership in processing, product diversification, and market linkages for yak products. This partnership is expected to deliver a successful model of yak-based enterprise to attract and engage youth in the landscape to sustain the yak herding culture.


For more information, please contact

Anshu Pandey

Media Associate

media@icimod.org

Mobile: +977 9849920539

 

Stay current

Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.

Sign Up
2 May 2023 Press releases
Global Alliance for a Sustainable Planet and ICIMOD to Drive Social and Environmental Change in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

Kathmandu - The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and the Global Alliance for a Sustainable Planet (GASP) are ...

19 Jun 2016 Press releases
Knowledge forum calls for strengthened regional collaboration to support inclusive climate resilience in the Himalayan and downstream region

Unless countries in the Himalayan and downstream region strengthen collaboration to address food, water and energy issues, the region’s agricultural ...

15 Dec 2020 Press releases
Honouring mountain champions

Kathmandu, 11 December 2020 Every year, the ICIMOD Mountain Prize is awarded to an individual, organization, or private sector entity based ...

23 Jun 2025 Press releases
State of the Climate in Asia 2024 – ICIMOD response to WMO flagship report

Asia is warming at twice the global average, states the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) in report issued today Continent ‘hit ...

27 Sep 2014 Press releases
Young professionals learn new ideas on enhancing adaptation in the mountains

Forty-seven young professionals convened at the headquarters of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kathmandu, Nepal ...

10 Mar 2022 Press releases
FCDO and ICIMOD collaborate with the Pakistan Ministry of Climate Change to generate data on brick industry emissions

On March 4 2022, the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) Pakistan and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development ...

26 Nov 2024 Press releases
Leading food policy and mountain research organisations, IFPRI and ICIMOD, join forces to boost climate-smart agriculture in the Hindu Kush Himalaya

Kathmandu, 27 November 2024  – The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) today signed a ...