THE TRADE IN NON-TIMBER FOREST PRODUCTS FROM NEPAL

Every year between 10,000 and 15,000 tonnes of non-timber forest produ cts (NTFPs) are harvested in Nepal and traded to Indian and overseas m arkets. The total value of the trade to Nepal's national economy is es timated to be equivalent to US $8.6 million. This paper describes NTFP harvest and trade, the roles of producers, traders, and processors, a nd the relationships between them. Five potential improvements are dis cussed from the perspective of harvesters in Nepal: increased producti on; direct marketing to bypass intermediaries; improved access to mark et information; improvements to raw material quality; and small-scale processing at the local level. Developments are more likely to benefit harvesters if they act collectively. Collective institutions that foc us solely on the production of NTFPs may need to be developed. There a re doubts that a single institution would be capable of carrying out s everal functions, i.e., production, marketing, and processing of NTFPs . The considerable regional variations in the nature of the NTFP trade indicate that suitable institutions, and interventions, would need to be highly location-specific. As a generalization, development efforts may be more suited to the remote western half of Nepal.