KATHMANDU: The Pig Industrial Park established in Pokhara targets to export pork meat to neighbouring China.

The park was established with 70 per cent investment from the government and 30 per cent from the farmers considering the possibility of exporting pork.

Currently, the industrial park has more than 10,000 pigs and also a modern slaughter house to produce quality pork meat, according to chairperson of the Pig Breeder Agriculture Cooperatives Limited, Krishna Bahadur Gurung who is also a former Member of Parliament.

Meanwhile, the government of China has already announced support for the expansion of research and technology in the agriculture sector of Nepal. An agreement has been reached to run potato, green fodder, poultry, mushroom, vegetables and trout fish production plants in Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Sindhupalchok districts.

The project that began on December 19, 2018, will run until December 18, 2021. The government of China has announced the support of RNB 27 million for the project. As part of the project, 60 farmers and technicians will be taken to China for training while another 240 farmers will be trained in Nepal itself, according to Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development Chakrapani Khanal.

The support has been heartily welcomed by the 13,000 pig farmers in Nepal, who believe that skilled technical human resource would help produce quality pork meat and thereby open the door for export, said Pig Entrepreneurs’ Association Chair Umesh Kumar Rai and added, “China is both the largest producer and consumer of pork, hence comes the possibility for exporting from Nepal. Nepal, however, is still not self-reliant in pork meat production although one million hectares of arable land that is barren could be used for pork breeding. This could also help create employment and generate income for the country’.