Udhyamika Kura with Mr. Nirmal Bhattarai

Bikalpa- an Alternative in support of Sahaj, organized an entrepreneurship talk show program called “Udhyamika Kura” on 24th November 2022 at Hotel Shreekrishna Biratnagar. The program’s objective was to share positive and real stories of entrepreneurs to inspire a young generation with an entrepreneurship vision. The program also provides a platform to do networking and idea sharing. For this Last Thursday’s session, Mr. Nirmal Bhattarai was invited as the guest speaker. Mr. Bhattarai is a chairman of Everest large cardamom Industries Pvt. ltd and president of large cardamom entrepreneurs of Nepal. The program was moderated by Mr. Sabin Ghimire. He also delivered a welcoming speech to the participants and guest speakers.

Mr. Bhattarai began his session by delivering his entrepreneurial journey. Nirmal Bhattarai, a resident of Birtamode 5 jhapa, was born in Bikat Sirjianga ward no. 2 of Taplejung district. His childhood was spent in a struggle, helping his mother with farming and living in the village. His father used to cultivate cardamom and other crops and sell them. He shared that around 2040 B.S., his father started a small shop selling various goods in the village. After that, the financial status of his family improved to some extent. After passing class 5 in Bhagwati Pravi School in the village, his family migrated to Gopetar of Panchthar district around 2047.

He remembered that his father’s business was doing well in Gopetar, and his study was also progressing pretty well. Unfortunately, his house was swept away by the landside and the material possessions of his family were washed away by the landslide. “Luckily we all survived “, he added. He said that with the help and support of our neighbors, his family shifted to another house in Gopetar. There again, after collecting all the goods, the shop was reopened. Due to the good behavior of his father with the businessmen of Birtamode, the businessmen gave the goods to the shop on the condition that they would be paid after the sale.

He mentioned that after passing SLC from Dip Jyoti School in Birtamod, he came to Ilam to study and passed 12th from Ilam Campus. Bhattarai said that since the goods from his father’s shop in Gopetar were going through Birtamode, he had to stay in Ilam and play the role of a mediator to help his father. Then he came back to Birtamode from Ilam while helping his father in transporting the goods. While helping his father’s business, he felt the desire to do something for himself too. He rented a common room in Birtamode and started storing the goods to be sent to his father. He started selling a few goods that he had stored to other shops in the hilly area. He reminisced that little by little his income increased along with contact with other businessmen.

He shared that in 2060 B.S. he brought his parents to Birtamode who were studying in Gopetar. By this time, his business was also flourishing. He used to send large quantities of food grains to different places in the hills and started selling the cardamom to the local traders. After the good business of cardamom started in the local market, he thought that cardamom should be exported to the Indian market as well. He said that after talking with the merchants there, he started sending cardamom to India as well. His hard work, honesty, and inclination toward business paid off and day by day his business started earning a good income. For the past 5 years, he has completely stopped the food business and has only been involved in the cardamom business.

He said that cardamom is produced only in 3 countries of the world. Of the cardamom produced only in Nepal, India, and Bhutan, 55% of cardamom is produced in Nepal. Last year, Nepal earned 7 billion foreign currencies from cardamom. In this sense, if cardamom cultivation can be encouraged and exported to third countries, it is possible that the country will be able to bring in more foreign currency. Bhattrai said “There is a huge possibility of making a good income from cardamom in Nepal, which produces the most cardamom. So far, the cardamom produced in Nepal has been exported only to India. Only 5% of the cardamom produced in Nepal is consumed in Nepal. The remaining 95% is exported to India. Cardamom produced in Nepal is labeled by India and sent to other countries as its product. Due to this, it is being propagated that India is the origin of cardamom production in the international market.”

Nirmal Bhattarai expressed that confidence, hard work, and honesty play a key role in becoming a successful entrepreneur. He said that becoming a successful entrepreneur is not only about having willpower but also having knowledge and experience about the business and enterprise that you are doing. Unfortunately, the youth of Nepal must migrate abroad due to a lack of employment here, but now the youth of Nepal should look for this possibility.

He established Everest Large Cardamom Industry to support the sales and distribution of Nepal’s cardamom. This industry has introduced 4 cardamom products in the market. Mouth freshener made with a silver coating of Mizaz brand cardamom seeds, cardamom powder, cardamom seeds (500 grams / 1 kg), and cardamom packaging has come to the market as produced in Nepal.

Bhattarai said that since the quality of the cardamom produced in Nepal is the best if it can be spread in the national and international markets in various ways, the brand of Nepal can be created from cardamom. Therefore, he also requested the Nepali youths to spend time in this modern agriculture and engage in various enterprises instead of risking their lives by being away from their families abroad. He opined that the government should support it through its policies and programs.

Mr. Bhattrai had a very engaging and thought-provoking deliberation speech about his journey, after which the floor was open to the audience, where he shed light upon the participant’s queries. 150 attendees took part in the event and interacted with Mr. Ghimire. The program ended with a vote of thanks delivered by Mr. Sabin Ghimire. The media partner Our Biratnagar and Makalu Television covered the whole session.