Value Chain Development of Fruit and Vegetables in Nepal

Status:	Active
Duration:	July 2018 - December 2022
Geographic coverage:	Dhading, Kavre, Makawanpur, Chitwan, Dolakha, Ramechhap, Sindhuli, Nawalparasi, Tanahun, Gorkha, Kaski, and Syanja
Focus area:	Poverty reduction and social inclusion
Partners:	The Ministry of Agriculture, Land Management, and Cooperatives The Nepal Agriculture Research Council State governments in province 3 and 4 Local governments
Funded by:	KOICA (USD 5 million) and UNDP (USD 0.5 million)

Summary

The value chain development of fruit and vegetables project, supported by the Korea International Cooperation Agency, aims to increase incomes of farmers. A focus is placed on production support with enhanced access to extension, postharvest loss management, and market linkage improvement. The project will support 10,000 smallholder farmers in 12 districts in province 3 and 4.

Background

Marketed volumes of fruit and vegetables are low in Nepal and farmers have limited access to agriculture technology. Postharvest losses are high, with estimates suggesting losses between 10 and 14% for fruit and vegetables. Careless handling of crops during loading and unloading and a lack of storage facilities at collection centres are contributing factors.

To address the issues, the Ministry of Agriculture, Land Management, and Cooperatives, the Nepal Agriculture Research Council, the Korea International Cooperation Agency, and the United Nations Development Programme have entered into an agreement to support smallholder farmers.

The project will help Nepal achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 1 (no poverty) and Goal 2 (zero hunger).