Project/activity information

Non-tImber forest products (NTFPs) play an important role in the economy of the Terai region of Nepal. Many medicinal plants currently have export markets in India, Germany, Japan, France and Malaysia, however certain NTFP species are facing extinction or degradation. At present there is a lack of information on propagation, sustained yield, appropriate harvesting techniques, best harvesting season, storage and processing. Local farmers have little knowledge of potential markets and reasonable market prices. This pre-project will assess the present status in the management of NTFPs in three of Nepals Terai districts (Banke, Parsa and Morang) by determining the current use, identifying the potential and means for increasing production. These districts contain a large quantity of medicinal and aromatic plants which are annually harvested. The pre-project will include a quantitative resource assessment, determination of the annual quantity of NTFP collected, methods of collection, drying and storage practices, and the examination of the socio-economic condition of local people involved in NTFP production. The pre-project will build on existing information for the identification of policy gaps for the sustainable management of NTFPs. An analysis of the development of a future program will be conducted with all stakeholders through two workshops. The pre-project outputs will include four documents: a NTFP quantitative resource assessment for tropical Nepal; a current NTFP market analysis; a technical document on current status of NTFP management; and a project proposal.