University of Guelph
Erica Gibson
Crops in Nepal
The major crops grown in Nepal include rice, maize, and millet (Sharma, 2015). Over the past 25 years, the area, production, and yield of maize has somewhat improved in the Terai region but yields have decreased by approximately 17% (Sharma, 2015). This indicates that improvement in agricultural technology is still needed (Sharma, 2015). Insect pests are proven to be one of the main causes of storage losses in different commodities under subtropical environmental conditions (Latif et al., 1991). In addition, one fifth of the world's total crop production is destroyed annually by herbivorous insects (FAO, 2010). Extended storage of grains for more than three months makes the commodity more susceptible to insect attacks (Wakil & Schmitt, 2014). Not only do insects deteriorate grain, but they causes severe quantitative as well as qualitative grain losses (Ahmedani et al., 2011). Nepalese farmers are greatly affected by pests, especially in the Terai region (Sharma, 2015). This would be the main region that would have a demand for an insecticide such as Protect-It®. This is because the majority of crops sold throughout Nepal are grown and farmed from the Terai region (Sharma, 2015). In addition, the land area of Terai is very flat and is most suitable for growing crops (Sharma, 2015). The climate in the Terai is ideal for pests and therefore, farmers in this region would have a greater need to use insecticide on their crops than the other regions of Nepal (Sharma, 2015). In the Terai region, maize is developing into a commercial crop for processing into corn oil, glucose, animal food, and breakfast cereal. Over the next 20 years, the demand for maize is expected to increase by 4% per year due to an increased demand for food in the hills and in the Terai regions of Nepal (Sharma, 2015). This means it is important that changes are made to increase the yield per Nepalese farmer. Protect-It® is affordable enough for the average farmer in the Terai region. As long as the farmer can get to the market, close to where most products are imported and sold, they can purchase Protect-It® and be able to make profit due to the benefits of the product to make up for the cost of actually purchasing the product. Prices of Protect-It® are discussed in better detail in the "details- transportation" section of this webpage.
By exporting Protect-It® to Nepal, the pest infestation in stored grains will decrease, causing the crop yield to increase. This is important as some of the crops listed in the table below such as maize, are not only a source of income, but act as a staple food which are eaten routinely and make up for a large and important portion of a standard diet (Sharma, 2015). The area, production and productivity of major crops during 1998-1999 are shown in Table 4.
Table 4: Area, Production and Yield 1998/99 (Nepal).
Source: Statistical Information on Nepalese Agriculture 1998/99, Agriculture-Statistics Division, Nepal. http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/x6906e/x6906e09.htm