1st batch of Nepali haylage on way to China

Narayan Kaji Shrestha (4th L, front), deputy prime minister and home minister of Nepal, and Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song (3rd R, front) cut the ribbon at the shipment ceremony for the first batch of haylage for export to China's Tibet Autonomous Region, in Bharatpur, Nepal, July 15, 2023. Ten trucks set out on Saturday from Bharatpur in southern Nepal, shipping the first batch of haylage for export to China's Tibet Autonomous Region. A total of 80 tons of silage, produced by Nepal Horizon International Pvt. Ltd. with green maize, shall land in the Tibetan city of Shigatse to feed animals in winter.(Photo by Hari Maharjan/Xinhua)

BHARATPUR, Nepal, July 15 (Xinhua) -- Ten trucks set out on Saturday from Bharatpur in southern Nepal, shipping the first batch of haylage for export to China's Tibet Autonomous Region.

A total of 80 tons of silage, produced by Nepal Horizon International Pvt. Ltd. with green maize, shall land in the Tibetan city of Shigatse to feed animals in winter.

The deal helps alleviate the shortage of animal feed in winter and improve the environment and soil erosion in Tibet on the one hand, and it generates more incomes for farmers in Nepal and creates more jobs for local youths on the other hand, said Zhang Jinxiang, CEO of Nepal Horizon International.

The company is aiming at opening up three or four more processing factories in Nepal within the next two years and exporting 300,000 tons of haylage to Tibet annually, which are worth 30 million U.S. dollars, Zhang added.

The export of Nepali haylage to China is not easily achieved, but is a result of joint efforts by the two sides, noted Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Chen Song.

And 30 million dollars in annual exports mean "the export volume from Nepal to China will double," Chen said at the shipment ceremony.

The ambassador voiced readiness to cooperate more with Nepal to boost the development of modern agricultural science and technology in the country, so as to produce more high-quality agricultural products to meet the needs at home and export to the whole world.

"The export of haylage might look simple, but it has the potential to prove to be a turning point in decreasing our trade deficit," said Narayan Kaji Shrestha, deputy prime minister and home minister of Nepal.

"What I believe is that the export of haylage has given a message that there are prospects in increasing our exports given that we produce quality goods," he said while addressing the shipment ceremony.

"Today the commencement of haylage export to Tibet has opened a new area for cooperation and support," said Bedu Ram Bhusal, Nepal's minster for agriculture and livestock development.

For Sujan Hamal, a farmer working with Nepal Horizon International, the processing of silage with green maize has made it possible for him to cultivate maize three times a year now instead of once a year.

"If the company runs smoothly as it does, we will benefit and we will be more attracted to this farming, which increases our living standard too," he said.

This photo taken on July 14, 2023 shows bales of haylage at Nepal Horizon International Pvt. Ltd. in Bharatpur, Nepal. Ten trucks set out on Saturday from Bharatpur in southern Nepal, shipping the first batch of haylage for export to China's Tibet Autonomous Region. A total of 80 tons of silage, produced by Nepal Horizon International Pvt. Ltd. with green maize, shall land in the Tibetan city of Shigatse to feed animals in winter.(Photo by Hari Maharjan/Xinhua)