Salyan district exported agricultural and livestock products worth Rs2.24 billion in the fiscal year 2025-26, according to local authorities.

A total of 357,232 tonnes of vegetables and fruits, along with 30,620 livestock, including goats, pigs and buffaloes, were supplied to markets outside the district.

Agricultural produce transported through Kapurkot, Kalimati and Sallibazar from all 10 local units generated Rs1.63 billion. Livestock sales generated a further Rs566.9 million.

The growing trade has directly benefited around 54,000 farming households in Salyan. The shift towards commercial agriculture and animal husbandry has helped farmers become more self-reliant, improving their livelihoods and living standards. It has also allowed many people who previously migrated to various parts of India for work to find employment in their own villages.

Mahesh Acharya, chief of the Agriculture Development Office in Salyan, said the district exported 8,487 tonnes of fresh vegetables worth Rs497.6 million, 8,465 tonnes of ginger worth Rs402 million, and 4,584 tonnes of oranges and kiwis worth Rs399.2 million.

Other major exports included 8,250 tonnes of potatoes worth Rs235 million, 1,550 tonnes of maize worth Rs49.6 million and 70 tonnes of millet worth Rs13.2 million. The district also sold 325,550 fruit saplings worth Rs19.4 million, as well as honey, turmeric, cardamom, sesame, hemp, beans and soybeans.

Acharya said these products are transported to domestic markets including Dang, Nepalgunj and Kathmandu, as well as several cities in India. Ginger produced in Salyan has also reached markets as far away as France.

“In the past, farmers grew fruits, vegetables and other crops primarily for subsistence, producing just enough to meet basic needs such as salt and cooking oil,” said Acharya. “Now, with various support programmes provided by the office, they have adopted commercial farming.”

Among the district’s 10 local units, Bagchaur Municipality and Kapurkot Rural Municipality are the largest exporters of agricultural products.

The livestock sector has also expanded. Anup Shrestha, chief of the Veterinary Hospital and Livestock Service Expert Centre in Salyan, said 29,840 goats worth Rs537.1 million were exported from the district during the review year. Farmers also sold 680 pigs for Rs20.4 million and 120 buffaloes for Rs8.4 million.

As with crop farming, animal husbandry has shifted from a subsistence activity to a commercial enterprise. Income from livestock not only helps cover household expenses but also enables parents to finance their children’s higher education.

“Given the rising demand for local goat breeds, many farmers have prioritised commercial goat rearing,” Shrestha said. Around 70 percent of households in the district are currently engaged in some form of animal husbandry, he added.