Phalebas, a village in Parbat, has started exporting sattu to the US and Europe. Parbat Food Processing Industry based in Mudkuwa produces several varieties of sattu. It is operated by Thaneshwar Bhusal who prepares sattu using maize, soybean, pulses, buckwheat, ginger, peanut, sugar, cardamom and pepper.

Due to the rising demand for the organic meal, Bhusal started selling sattu in the market. Even though people in the village ignore it, there is strong market demand for the protein-packed powder, he said. It is also gaining popularity in the US and Europe thanks to non-resident Nepalis who have introduced the health food to their friends and families.

With a financial assistance of Rs760,000 from the Gandaki Province Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment, Bhusal expanded his operations and started producing sattu. It has been a year since he began his sattu journey. He also wants to position sattu as an alternative to junk food.

Sales revenues have also increased with the expansion in production. Sattu is being sold at food stores and departmental stores in Kushma Bazaar. Sattu is quality tested before being shipped to market and has a six-month expiry date.

“Many readymade food items available in the market are not healthy,” says Prakash Bhusal, a local, and recommends sattu which is a good alternative and is healthy.

Schools are also embracing sattu as healthy food and have started including it in their school meal plans.

“Earlier, we used to get orders to process hog plum,

ginger and gooseberry which kept us occupied for four-five months, but now the

industry is running year-round,” said Bhusal.

Bhusal has five employees. Hog plum is processed from mid-November to mid-March and sattu is made the rest of the time, he added.

Bhusal purchases maize grown in the village at Rs40 per kg. As part of the Prime Minister Agriculture Modernisation Project, a maize zone programme is being run at Phalebas. Farmers who doubled their production after the programme was introduced have been getting good prices for their crops.

“Maize used to be wasted in the past,” said Jyoti Bhusal of Phalebas-6. But now, people are knocking on farmers’ doors to buy their harvests. She said that they have been planting maize on infertile lands as well. Farmers have noticed a spike in demand for maize and have started growing it in the off-season as well.