Federation of Nepal Cottage and Small Industries (FNCSI) kicked off a provincial level fair in Pokhara, on Friday. The five-day fair is showcasing products of small and cottage industries with the goal of promoting the goods produced in the province.

FNCSI of Province Number 4 organised the fair in association with various government offices.

The organiser has allotted 50 stalls for various agricultural products and handicrafts.

One can find different products ranging from agricultural goods like honey and fish to handicrafts like pencil made from scrap papers and statues made from tree roots.  The main attraction of the fair, however, has been the various products made from nettle cloths.

Hample Nettle Cloth, the company involved in producing various nettle products has even fixed a machine that weaves nettle. “This fair is an opportunity to show people how to make cloths from nettle,” said Gham Maya Pun, director of the company. “We found many people interested in our products. Those understanding the value of our products are making purchases.” According to Harihar Thapa, Province Number 4 president of FNCSI, the fair is being organised to promote the goods produced in the province and make local representatives aware about the products made in their area. “This fair will also help the province government to identify products with comparative advantages,” said Thapa. “This is our first attempt and we will keep doing this in coming days.”  

The participants of the fair said the event will be helpful in finding market for their products in the future rather than immediate sale from the stalls. “We are not targeting instant sale.

Those who know about our products during the event are likely to make purchase in the future,” said Mim Bahadur Rana Magar, owner of Modern Art Gallery in Pokhara. “This fair will help us promote domestic products.”

Goods displayed at the fair will shed light on works of large number of people involved in the small and cottage industries. Micro, cottage and small enterprises generate a big chunk of jobs in the country and play an instrumental role in Nepal’s economic development.

Yet many of these enterprises are not growing at a desired pace and struggle to stay profitable, as they have failed to embrace emerging technologies, face problems in gaining access to finance and lack expertise in business management.

This kind of fair, according to the organisers, will be effective in drawing attention of concerned authorities for the development of the sector.