IF all goes as planned, Nepal will begin exporting buffalo meat to China next June, with a daily target of 5,000 tonnes, according to meat industry representatives.

“It’s been a week since we received approval for Chinese investment worth nearly Rs9.5 billion. The investors are arriving this Sunday, after which we’ll submit an application to the Investment Board Nepal for final approval,” said Navin Kumar Sharma, chairman of Himalayan Food International.

The investment for the ambitious project will be delivered in three phases. Last December, China expanded trade opportunities beyond traditional handicrafts —Nepal’s primary export to its northern neighbour for decades — by opening its market to water buffalo meat. This development followed Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s official visit to China, during which Beijing agreed to allow meat imports from Nepal.

On December 16, 2023, Himalayan Food International, a Nepali private company, signed a business-to-business agreement in Kathmandu with China’s Shanghai Ziyan Food to export buffalo meat. Beijing has promoted the deal as part of its ‘soft trade diplomacy’ strategy and hopes to import up to $1.5 billion worth of buffalo meat annually from Nepal, calling the partnership a potential “game changer”.

The total Chinese investment in Nepal’s meat sector will reach around Rs27 billion, covering two major components: meat processing and animal rearing.

“We would have already begun construction, but there was a delay on the Nepali government’s part in declaring a disease-free zone for livestock,” Sharma said. “The Chinese side waited for the official announcement before approving the funds.”

Although the government had initially planned to send the required documents in December, they were only dispatched in June.

Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2025