KATHMANDU: By July 23, the standard of Lokta paper for use in government documentation will be finalised. A committee of Nepal Handmade Paper Association (HANDPASS) along with Lokta paper experts are moving on with interaction programmes with the Standards Bureau for the purpose. The government plans to start using Lokta paper from the start of the next fiscal year.

“We are delighted as the minimum standard for Lokta paper will be approved on Shrawan 8, and it will be used in government

documentation,” said Dr Milan Dev Bhattarai, former president of Nepal Handmade Paper Association (HANDPASS) adding that only the chemical factor and pH measurement need to be finalised.

Thanks to the decision regarding the standard of Nepali handmade paper, the quality of the will be maintained and attampts to replace it with lower quality handmade paper will not be successful. Thus, the worth of Lokta paper in the international market will not devalue, Bhattarai said. The bureau will decide the standards regarding thickness, size, tearing strength, printability of the paper, weight of the paper and colour of the ink to be used among other factors.

“We think the handmade paper that is to be used in citizenship certificate should have a weight of at least 250-350 gram per square metre (GSM) while in the case of Tippani Aadesh the standard weight should at least be 30 GSM,” said Bhattarai adding that the weight of paper may vary from 12 GSM, 50 GSM and 60 GSM.

The handmade paper needs at least a budget of Rs 20 million for the new fiscal year. The budget will definitely support the procurement process. Along with it, the total turnover of the government will increase to Rs 40 million, he said.

According to Bhattarai, export of Lokta paper has increased by 15 per cent in the current fiscal compared to the last fiscal year. Lokta paper worth around Rs 300 million was exported in the current fiscal year.

For sustainable Lokta production, the HANDPASS committee under the European Commission’s 4-year project is working on Lokta farming, export, and product development. Started in January 2009, the project will end in 2012. Those related to the sector are quite hopeful of making Lokta paper production cost-effective while maintaining the quality of Lokta paper.

Under the four year project, 27 trainers are conducting training programmes to 21 districts regarding Lokta collection in sustainable way, cost effective production and quality maintenance.

“Currently annual production of Lokta from the villages is of Rs 140 million, but along with the completion of the project it will three times greater with export of Rs 8 billion,” he said.

Countries importing Lokta paper are Switzerland, England, France, Germany, USA, Canada, Japan and Australia. The major exportable items of Lokta paper are in the form of packaging paper, stationary items, and greeting cards.