A grant of $1million (£520,000) has been promised by the Asian
Development Bank’s Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction to improve the
livelihood of poor farmers and disadvantaged groups in eastern Nepal.
The Nepalese government will add $314,000.
The fund will assist about 6000 people who want to start
micro-enterprises in the Dhankuta, Morang, Saptari and Sunsari
districts. The businesses supported will include off-season farming,
high-value crop production, manufacture of packaging materials, and the
semi-processing of fruits and vegetables.
During the first year of the project a $350,000 ‘livelihood support
fund’ will be set up for improvements to health, education and living
standards and to create economic opportunities for ‘the poorest’. In
the second year a $200,000 ‘income generation fund’ will be established
to support the graduates of a skills training programme.
