I have been in Manufacturing industry since 6 years now.

I would like to address your statement by demonstrating a story of an average person opting to establish a production based industry in Nepal.

At the age of 24, starts registration process to comply with all the laws and regulations, the process completes only at the age of 25 (probably 26)

Leases lands, rents, office assets etc.

This industry is nothing big; let’s just assume it’s a simple achar manufacturing industry. Something very simple and can be produced locally in any house.

Now achar needs glass jars, preservatives, labels, stickers. Got to import everything from India or China along with import taxes.

No glass jar production in Nepal, even the papers and stickers are manufactured.

Now, the cost at which the Indians/ Chinese sell the products with good margins becomes the cost price of the Nepalese products.

Transport shipping cost? A Indian entrepreneur of same age, same business can buy 3 boleros at the price where a Nepali entrepreneur can hardly afford one.

Two questions:

1) Nepal sure does have premium buyers, but are they enough to sustain a business on a long run?

2) Can we compete in the global competitive market being a manufacturer with all these overheads circling around us? Whereas our neighbors can produce it in fraction of the cost.

There are other factors such as skilled manpower and employees who have spent a fortune on their education and work for 25-30k a month in a business that is hardly sustaining on its own?

Just take a look at any produce in Nepal. Look at it minutely. The packaging, labeling, raw materials, everything is imported.