Socio-economic Benefits
The GoN has designated the Karnali Zone as a ”Pocket of Excellence” for the overall development of NTFPs, especially high-value medicinal plants (Poudel, 2015). The collection and cultivation of MAPs provide significant sources of revenue, improved livelihoods, and reduce poverty for rural households in high altitude communities. According to studies, 10 - 100% of households in Nepal’s mountainous regions are interested in commercial MAPs collection (FNCCI-AEC/NEHHPA, 2012). MAPs can account for up to 50% of annual household income in hilly areas (FNCCI-AEC/NEHHPA, 2012). According to recent estimates up to 300,000 families are interested (directly/indirectly) in the collection of MAPs in 58 districts of Nepal, with an additional 100,000 ready to join the community if suitable conditions are established (SAWTEE, 2015). Women account for more than 50% of those involved in the collection, cleaning, and grading of MAPs (MoCS, 2010).
Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) provide opportunities for Nepal to achieve long-term economic development. Nepal currently does not have a large-scale share of global MAPs markets, but MAPs are more important in Nepal’s export basket than in other countries (The World Bank, 2018). Nepal, along with India and China, has been recognized as a major reservoir for the supply of MAPs in Asia (Pyakurel and Oli, 2013). According to a WHO study, herbal market demand nearly doubled in Asia during the late 1990s, and the total foreign trade in medicinal plants and their products was US$ 60 billion in 2010 and is projected to cross US$ 5 trillion by 2050 (WHO, 2002). The increase in export value over the last ten years (2005 to 2014) suggests increased global demand for MAPs (Ghimire et al., 2016). Nepal is ranked 42nd on the list, with MAP exports worth $7.4 million (TEPC, 2018). Nepal exports 76% of its MAPs production to India and 2.5-3.5 %t to Vietnam, France, and China (Trademap, 2017). Only about 10% of the total quantity of MAPs obtained in Nepal is used to manufacture medicinal products or essential oils in factories and small manufacturing units (Tiwari et al., 2004). Nepal is ranked 62nd on the list, with $3.3 million in essential oil exports (TEPC, 2018). Nepali essential oil is primarily exported to the United States (34%), followed by Europe (37%), and then Asia (24%) (Trademap, 2017).
Conclusion
In Nepal, the NTFPs sub-sector, especially MAPs, has enormous potential for improving the socio-economic status of local people and also increase national income and employment opportunities. The growing global demand for herbal products, owing to people’s inherent interest and continuing belief in its effectiveness, has undoubtedly attracted Nepalese investors as well. Despite the vast potential of Nepal’s MAPs for commercial promotion, only a few have been popularized. In Nepal, MAPs are largely unexplored and underutilized as a profitable and long-term market. Instead, haphazard and illicit wild harvesting and trade have overexploited some high-value natural herbs, causing several of these species to become vulnerable in Nepal. MAPs have been identified as one of the Himalayan region’s potential high-value resources with tremendous economic growth potential, but the scale of poverty in the Himalayan region remains severe yet. As a result, the Nepalese government faces the challenge of transforming a poor region into a prosperous region through Sustainable harvesting of MAPs. Nepal will benefit the most from the rising international demand for MAPs, but there are a few fundamental issues that must be resolved before the sector can be formalized. To ensure food safety, reducing poverty, and improving livelihood, the promotion and domestication of NTFPs, proper harvesting mechanisms, and improved processing techniques are crucial.
Author Contributions: All the authors were involved in concept development, defining of intellectual content, and literature research. V.T. Chhetri, S. Shrestha, and S. Thapa reviewed the literature and prepared a draft manuscript. S. Timilsina edited and reviewed the manuscript for finalization. The published version of the manuscript has been read and approved by all authors. V.T. Chhetri, as a corresponding author, is the guarantor for this article.
Conflicts of Interest : The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Acknowledgemen t: This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.