National Planning Commission Member Pukar Malla Emphasizes Forest Sector for Job Creation and Women's Entrepreneurship

Kathmandu. National Planning Commission member Pukar Malla has stated that the forest sector should be developed as an important basis for job creation and promotion of women's entrepreneurship. He said that the huge potential in the forest sector should be linked with economic prosperity at the program organized by Adhyanta Fund Management Limited on 'Expansion and Upgradation of Forest and Agriculture-Based Enterprises in Partnership with the Private Sector'. He mentioned that local employment can be expanded through community forest user groups and forest-based enterprises. He stated that there is immense potential to increase employment in the forest sector through Nepal's 23,000 community forest user groups. He said that as the role of women in the production sector is increasing due to foreign employment and migration in recent times, women's economic leadership can be developed through forest-based enterprises. He pointed out that Nepal has achieved exemplary success in forest conservation globally, and now the success of conservation should be linked with economic prosperity to establish a new model. He mentioned that there is huge potential in forest-based products such as coffee, resin, non-timber forest products, spices, and honey. Mentioning that 46 percent of the country is forest and there are 23,000 community forest users, Malla said that there is immense potential here for employment growth. 'Now, due to migration, the role of women in the production sector is increasing,' he said, 'Nepal has become an example for forest conservation in the world, it has become a good story.' He emphasized that a better story should now be created for prosperity, and that too through women's economic leadership. He said that further study is needed on investing in the forest sector and developing enterprises. He claimed that if potential products are identified and value chains are developed, the forest sector will make a significant contribution to employment, entrepreneurship, and women's economic empowerment.