Who says Nepal is a poor country? It is a very rich country indeed. The only thing that makes Nepal poor is its irresponsible rulers, lack of proper policies, ineffective laws and no order. If we are able to use one percent of its natural resources effectively we can transfer this beautiful country into a more developed one within a few decades to come. If Nepal simply manages to sell drinkable water, which is available free of charge to its people, to other countries like India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, we can add millions of rupees to our national income. Water resources are one of the renewable sources of energy that never dries up as long as the mighty Himalayas continue to exist on earth. Selling water in bottles is not a hard nut to crack for our country. The only thing that we need is to come up with is the proper vision of its marketing. Sell the bottled water also to the Middle East where most of the countries ferry drinkable water from outside. The concerned authorities in the government need to chalk out a plan of action to make this dream come true.
In addition to the water resources, Nepal can also start exporting the processed herbal medicines and fetch millions of dollars. Farmers sell an expensive herb like Yarshagumba at very low price to the intermediary who sells it to the pharmaceutical industries at the higher rate. The Yashagumba collectors do not get a fair price of this rare aphrodisiac flora because they lack the proper knowledge and technology to process it as a finished product. The concerned ministry should come up with a plan and a strategy to transfer knowledge and technology to the Yarshagumba collectors who can earn more money, which will help uplift their condition of living.
Farmers are not aware of the actual market price of this plant found in the high altitude areas, and the government is not interested in fully equipping them with processing technology, yet it can be the main source of income if the proper knowledge is imparted to them. Although the tourism sector is flourishing day by day, more needs to be done to make this sector more effective in generating more employment. Nepal is rich in its culture, language, and its biodiversity. Simply showing its natural beauty to the visiting tourists is not sufficient enough, we need to do aggressive marketing to sell these natural products across the country. Tourism has so far been confined to certain areas. It needs to be expanded across the country with connectivity through roadways, airways and communication networks.
