Nepal to expand agricultural exports to region

The export of clean agricultural products from Nepal to the Xizang autonomous region is expected to take off, benefiting thousands of rural farmers, a Nepalese official told a recent forum.

Ganesh Prasad Timilsina, former chairman of the National Assembly of Nepal, was speaking as a guest at the 4th China Xizang Trans-Himalaya Forum for International Cooperation forum in Nyingchi, Xizang.

He shared his expectations on future exports of agricultural products from Nepal's high-altitude regions to Xizang at a roundtable meeting.

Timilsina said 77 percent of Nepal's land area is covered by hills and snow-capped mountains, giving the region significant potential for year-round agricultural production.

"These regions not only supply food and income for local communities, but also preserve vast knowledge of cultural heritage and conserve indigenous livestock and crops. Agriculture and livestock breeding in these regions provide a stable livelihood for the local population," Timilsina said.

"Livestock like yaks, sheep, and goats, as well as herbs, serve as the primary sources of income for people living in snow-capped mountain regions," he said, adding that cattle, buffaloes, goats, chickens, and fish constitute the main sources of income.

He believes that the production of herbs, pesticide-free organic fruit, fish, meat, and dairy products will increase exponentially in Gandaki province and other Nepalese regions.

"By utilizing the water resources in Nepal's hilly and snow-capped mountain regions, Nepal can take pride in supplying agricultural products, fruit, fish, meat, and dairy products to the inhabitants of the Xizang plateau and other arid regions," he added.

Tsering Phuntsok, vice-chairman of the Xizang autonomous region government, said since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012, with the great support of the central government and the assistance of the people across the country, comprehensive rural revitalization has been deepening in the region. Agriculture and animal husbandry have seen steady growth, and farmers and herdsmen have been enjoying a better life brought by the overall development.

In 2023, the per capita disposable income of rural residents in Xizang reached 19,924 yuan ($2,738), an increase of 9.4 percent.

Rich in natural resources, Xizang boasts 16 million hectares of forests, 84.3 million hectares of grassland, water resources of 439.4 billion cubic meters, over 9,600 identified species of wild plants, and more than 4,000 agricultural germ plasm resources.

"The valley areas of the region are the main production areas for highland barley and the cold pastoral areas are advantageous regions for yaks," he said.