Pokhara imports ice-cream to meet growing demand

POKHARA: With the onset of summer, ice-cream consumption in Pokhara has gone

up sharply. However, as the local ice-cream production cannot meet the demand, half of the product is being imported from as far as Kathmandu and India.

Ice-cream worth Rs 20 million is consumed in Pokhara annually. Lack of technology, manpower and extended load shedding hours are the major reasons why Pokhara cannot produce the ice cream to meet the local demand, entrepreneurs said.

Mostly girls and children prefer ice-cream. While some are aware of ice-cream’s composition and its nutrition value, others consume it just to beat the heat. Ice creams produced by several dairy industries — India’s Vadilal and Kathmandu’s Andees, Quality, Snowfun, Suzi and Neerulas - have become popular among Pokhara’s young crowd.

Bhim Thapa, owner of Family restaurant, who sells Vadilal ice-cream brought from Bareli in India, said ice cream has a huge market in Pokhara. He, however, stressed that ice-cream must be hygienic. Kailash Palikhe, owner of Binayak Fresh House, said he has not been able to bring ice cream from Kathmandu due to lack of sufficient refrigerated vehicles. Ice-cream is offered in cones, cups and chocobar.

For the first time in Pokhara, a cone factory has been set up with an investment of Rs 6 million.