Japan Provides $43,175 Grant for Ginger and Timur Processing Centre in Myagdi

Dragon Media Correspondent

The Government of Japan will provide a grant of USD 43,175 for the construction and upgrading of a ginger and timur processing centre in Myagdi district. The project is expected to benefit around 600 women farmers in Beni Municipality.

An agreement for the grant was signed at the Embassy of Japan in Kathmandu by Japanese Ambassador to Nepal Maeda Toru and Padam Raj Shrestha, Executive Director of Livelihood Education and Development Society Nepal, or LEADS Nepal.

The project will be implemented under the Japanese Government’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects programme. LEADS Nepal will carry out the project, with a women farmers’ cooperative in Beni Municipality serving as the main beneficiary.

Myagdi is known for producing high-quality ginger and timur, which are important sources of income for local farmers. However, inadequate processing facilities and a lack of modern equipment have limited farmers’ ability to obtain better value from their agricultural products.

Under the project, the ginger and timur processing centre will be constructed and upgraded, while modern processing equipment will also be installed. The improvements are expected to increase processing efficiency and enhance product quality, enabling farmers to produce higher-value goods and expand their market opportunities.

Improved local processing facilities are also expected to increase value addition within the district, raise farmers’ incomes and strengthen rural livelihoods.

The Embassy of Japan has expressed confidence that the initiative will contribute to sustainable rural development, women’s economic empowerment and the commercialisation of local agricultural products in Myagdi.

The project is also expected to further strengthen the longstanding friendship and cooperation between Nepal and Japan as the two countries mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.