Key Takeaways:

• Two MoUs signed Friday between Nepal and South Korea worth USD 11.8m
• USD 10m allocated for Value Chain Development for Fruits and Vegetables Project, Phase II (2025–2031) in six Lumbini districts
• Project to be implemented by KOICA with Nepal's Ministry of Agriculture and provincial authorities
• KOICA has provided approx. USD 235m in assistance to Nepal since 1991

KATHMANDU, JULY 24 Nepal and South Korea on Friday signed two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) worth USD 11.8 million in grant assistance to strengthen agricultural value chains and improve public access to legal information through digital services. The agreements were signed between Finance Secretary Ghanshyam Upadhyaya on behalf of the Government of Nepal and South Korean Ambassador to Nepal Taeyoung Park. The larger of the two projects, 'Value Chain Development for Fruits and Vegetables Project, Phase II,' has secured USD 10 million in grant assistance for implementation from 2025 to 2031. The project aims to improve agricultural value chains and increase the income of smallholder farmers in six districts of Lumbini Province-Banke, Dang, Kapilvastu, Rupandehi, Palpa and Gulmi. The project will be implemented by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in collaboration with Nepal's Ministry of Agriculture, provincial authorities and the Directorate of Agriculture Development. It will focus on strengthening support systems for farmers, promoting market-oriented production and introducing post-harvest technologies. The second agreement allocates USD 1.8 million for the 'Project for Establishing Nepal Law Information Pilot System.' The initiative will develop a centralised digital platform for managing and accessing Nepal's legislative records. The project will be implemented in partnership with Nepal's Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, the Ministry of Government Legislation of the Republic of Korea and the Korea Law Information Service. It includes database development, IT infrastructure, business process improvements and capacity building for sustainable operation of the system. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Finance Secretary Upadhyaya said South Korea has remained a reliable development partner, supporting Nepal's national development priorities through relevant and effective cooperation. Ambassador Park said the projects represented not only financial assistance but also the transfer of Korean expertise through the deployment of technical experts and capacity-building programmes. He expressed confidence that bilateral cooperation would continue to deepen under the new leadership in Nepal. KOICA Nepal Country Director Kong said the second phase of the agriculture project would build on previous cooperation in Lumbini Province to enhance farmers' incomes, while the law information project would improve public access to legal information and strengthen Nepal's digital legal infrastructure. South Korea, through KOICA, has been supporting Nepal's development since 1991 across sectors including health, education, agriculture, vocational training, rural development and digital transformation. According to KOICA, it has provided approximately USD 235 million in development assistance to Nepal to date.