People involved in manufacturing and sales of Nepali paper products informed that the demand for these products has grown not just in the international market but also among Nepalese consumers.[break]
According to Trade and Export Promotion Centre (TEPC), export of Nepali paper and paper products increased by 23.6 percent during the first six months of the current fiscal year, as compared to export figures of same period last year.
Chandrama Khatri, proprietor of Princess Paper Craft in Lalitpur, informed that demand for Nepali paper products is growing by about 20 percent every year. “Until a few years ago, use of Nepali lokta paper was limited to government offices only. But lokta paper hasn´t lost its charm even at this age of computers and machine-made paper,” Khatri said.
“The variety and wide range of applicability have enhanced the value of handmade Nepali paper and spurred its exports as well as local usage.”
Khatri also said the United Sates has become the main market for handmade Nepali paper products over the past few years.
Nepali handmade paper, which is also known as lokta, is used to make products like diaries, calendars, notebooks, photo albums, photo frames, greeting cards and wall paper, among others.
Shiva Bahadur Subedi of Lokta Paper Crafts said local consumption of handmade paper products is growing by 15 to 20 percent last year. He, however, informed that demand at this time of year generally falls as this happens to be off season for paper products sale. The share of local consumption of paper products has increased to 20 to 30 percent from 15 percent over the past two to three years, Subedi said.
According to Federation of Handicraft Association of Nepal (FHAN), handmade paper product is the third largest export commodity in non-textile category. Exports of Nepali paper and paper products grew by 2.25 percent in fiscal year 2009/10 as compared to figures of 2008/09.
Palden Sherpa, a manufacturer of lokta paper, however was of the view that the surge in number of lokta manufacturers is deterring the production of quality paper. “Lokta manufacturers are growing day by day, but the dilemma is that such manufacturers lack proper knowledge regarding the manufacturing process. If this is not checked on time, this is likely to lead to decline in overseas demand,” said Sherpa, adding that there is a need to enhance technological innovations such as increasing the smoothness and introduce improved technique of cutting.
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