Cottage Industry in Nepal

Nepal is an agro-based country. It is also rich in natural resources. It is not an industrialized country. It has small industries too. Some traditional industries such as making clothes at home, making pots, making baskets, etc. are cottage industries. These industries do not need a large amount of capital to run.

There are different types of cottage industries. The major cottage industries are weaving clothes, cloth printing, carpet-making, carpentry, carving in wood, making utensils, making basket, making traditional paper, making shoes, making the tools of steel and iron, making mats, making pots, making ornaments and so on.

The condition of the cottage industry in our country is not improving, rather is getting worsened. There are some reasons for their decline Firstly, they cannot compete with modern factories which can produce a large amount of goods cheaply and quickly. Secondly, cottage industries are not well-organized and aptly managed. The owners of the cottage industries are unknown about the modern policies and techniques of business. Nowadays, cottage industries in Nepal are facing with many problems for their existence and revival.

In the context of Nepal, cottage industries are certainly advantageous. They preserve traditional arts and handicrafts. Many people are employed in making different types of traditional goods. To some extent, the problem of unemployment has been reduced. They supply the people with daily needs. The most important advantage of them is that we can eam foreign currency by selling the goods to foreign countries and the tourists who come to visit Nepal.

The condition of cottage industries in Nepal should be improved at any cost. Many people are involved in their ancestral trade. Potters, smiths, carpenters, utensil makers and others should be given training to improve their occupation. Now, with the improvement of science and technology, modern tools and machines have been widely used in the field of industry. These modern devices should also be used in cottage industries; then they can compete with modern industries.

Cottage industries provide daily needs to the people, help to minimize the problem of unemployment, cut down imports and increase exports. They also preserve traditional arts and handicrafts. Because of these advantages, they should be improved. The government should give a high priority to uplift the cottage industry in our country.