3 days ago
Korean cash cows: Heifers drive dairy gains for Nepali farmers
Korean cows help build Nepal's sustainable rural economy, says Kamalamai mayor
SINDHULI, Nepal — In Kamalamai Municipality of Nepal's Sindhuli District, Korean aid is delivering visible results, chiefly in the rising incomes of local dairy farmers.
Upendra Kumar Pokharel, mayor of Kamalamai Municipality, has witnessed the changes firsthand.
'For farmers with limited income, this project has been transformative. Dairy productivity is up, and so are local incomes,' he said during a press interview.
In December 2022, South Korea's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, together with the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation and non-profit organization Heifer Korea, dispatched 100 high-performing Holstein heifers and eight bulls to Nepal.
Of these, 80 were placed in Kamalamai's Korea-Nepal Model Dairy Village.
Since the arrival of Korean Holstein heifers, many farmers have seen a dramatic rise in milk yields, five to six times more than local varieties, according to Pokharel.
Farmers who once earned just 5,000 Nepalese rupees ($36) per month are now making up to 30,000 rupees. 'Roughly 80 percent of local dairy farmers have seen measurable improvements in both yield and income,' he added.
Beyond milk, the impact is spilling into other sectors, creating a virtuous circle. With Korea's support, an eco-friendly biogas system now recycles dairy manure into kitchen fuel and serves as fertilizer to boost crop yields.
Pokharel outlined potential new business opportunities, including processing milk into value-added products and establishing feed production facilities and small-scale dairy processing centers to generate additional jobs.
Local infrastructure has also improved, most notably through the installation of a 1-metric-ton-capacity water tank, with one-third of the cost covered by the municipal government.
Still, the mayor stressed the need for continued external support. 'We're doing our best, but local funding is limited. Support from the central government and international partners like Korea remains essential.'
The success has drawn national attention, with mayors from other regions visiting Sindhuli to see the model dairy village firsthand, with a close eye on its cattle-raising environment.
'They want to replicate our cow sheds and farming systems,' the mayor chuckled.
Projecting forward, the mayor shared his vision of Kamalamai becoming a national hub for dairy education, where local farmers take the lead in training their peers across Nepal.
"We hope to move forward through continued collaboration, enabling our farmers to achieve greater growth and success," he added.
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