Board urges to revise national tea and coffee policy

Dec-29th-2011
KATHMANDU: National Tea and Coffee Board has urged the government to revise the National Tea and Coffee Policy 2060 for the benefit of farmers and export promotion.

“There are some points which need to be revised in National Tea and Coffee Policy 2060 to promote the sector,”said executive directives, Raman Prasad Pathak. According to him, the policy is partially implemented due to unsuitable points.

The government approved and implemented National Coffee Policy 2060 to provide a source of income to rural people. The sector is also sought for employment and earning foreign currency. According to Pathak, the policy needs to be more focused to increase production through increment of tea and coffee cultivation land. He also said that government should also be more focused on overall development of farmers through quality training and workshops. “The policy should help to promote the export of coffee with a

view to substitute the import,” he said.

However, with the increase in the demand of Nepal Coffee, we are not able to fulfil the increasing demand due to lack of skilled farmers and cultivable land, he added. “We are planning to organise a workshop along with the participation of government representatives to discuss over the major issues to be addressed within the tea and coffee industries,” he said.

During the fiscal year 2010 -11, Nepal exported 279,762 kg of coffee which was 120,000 during the fiscal year 2009/10. The country exported coffee worth Rs 93.08 million during 2010/11 while it imported Rs 12.51 million worth coffee only.

According to the board, about 26,500 farmers had cultivated 401.5 metric tones of green bean in 1,752 hectare during the last fiscal year, which was about 343 metric tones in1,630 hectare a fiscal year ago.

Coffee is mainly cultivated in Lalitpur, Gulmi, Palpa, Syangja, Kaski,Kavrepalanchowk, Sindhupalchowk, Arghakhachi, while Baglung, Parbat, Gorkha,Lamjung, Tanahu, Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Okhaldungha, Ramechhap, and Illam cultivating tea.

Himalayan.