Nepal starts exporting ‘haylage,’ a type of nutritious animal feed to China

Published On: July 16, 2023 07:30 AM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

Nepal Horizon International sent 80 tons of fermented grass items on the first lot to Tibet

KATHMANDU, July 16: Nepal has started exporting haylage, a type of nutritious animal feed, to China with the first lot of the export item dispatched for the northern neighbor on Saturday.

Nepal Horizon International sent 10 trucks (80 tons) of the animal feed to Tibet, China’s Autonomous Region. Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Narayan Kaji Shrestha officially launched the export of the farm products on Saturday. “The initiation serves a greater opportunity for exporters,” Shrestha said.

The haylage is prepared from green maize and Napier and Sargam species of grasses. It is the forage that is baled at higher moisture content compared to the dry hay.

It is used to fill up the gap in supply mainly during winter when there is shortage of the animal feed. “The export of haylage has given a message that there are prospects in increasing our exports given that we produce quality goods,” Shrestha said.

As of now, Nepal has been depending on limited types of goods when it comes for exporting its products to China. Despite having a huge potential, the country has failed to benefit largely from export to its northern neighbor.

In the first 11 months of the current fiscal year, Nepal exported goods worth Rs 1.527 billion, which was double the amount during the same period last year. The records with the Department of Customs show that the export earnings from China was Rs 739.07 million during the review period of 2021/22.

According to Nepal Horizon International, it aims to open three or four more processing factories in Nepal within the next two years. With an expansion of its production plants, the company has targeted to export 300,000 tons of haylage annually to Tibet, which is expected to give the country with export earnings of US $ 30 million.

Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song stressed on the need for making quality products. “Through this, the entrepreneurs can benefit from the huge market of China,” he said.

During his visit to Nepal last year, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi agreed to import Haylage from Nepal. The two countries had also signed a document entitled ‘Protocol of haylage export from Nepal to China.’