Until a few years ago, Khokana’s rolling fields used to turn bright yellow during the winter months as the mustard crops would be in full bloom. Nowadays, the farmlands are barren as the farmers don't grow mustard anymore; so too in the neighbouring districts.

Mustard oil was once the speciality of this small traditional Newar village, about 8 km south of Kathmandu. From the seeds obtained from the surrounding fields, Khokana’s oil mills pressed the finest cooking oil, which any housewife in the valley would swear by.

In 1996, picturesque Khokana was also nominated to be listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site representing a vernacular village and its mustard-oil seed industrial heritage.

Farmers of Khokana have abandoned mustard farming due to the rising cost of production. Imports of mustard seeds, meanwhile, have ballooned. According to the Department of Customs, Nepal imported 38,195 tonnes of mustard seeds worth Rs3.98 billion in the last fiscal year.

In 2012, in a controversial decision, mustard oil was banned for edible consumption in the European Union, the United States and Canada, principally due to its erucic acid content. The United States Food and Drug Administration’s website claims it contains erucic acid which can cause heart disease if consumed above the prescribed limits.

The repercussions were felt in India, as mustard oil sales dropped drastically. Its consumption in Nepal also fell.

Now, Nepal imports edible oils valued at Rs120.46 billion annually—crude soybean worth Rs56.25 billion and crude palm oil worth Rs39.39 billion

Nepal also re-exports edible oils to the tune of Rs93.74 billion.

Khokana's mills are incurring losses every year because making oil in the traditional method is costly, and also because people are cutting down on it. Many mills have closed down while a few are operating using imported mustard seeds.

Khokana local Krishna Lal Dangol remembers carrying cans of mustard oil using a shoulder pole to the neighbouring village of Pharping where he would exchange it with mustard seeds.

Hawkers like Dangol could be seen on the streets of Kathmandu selling the aromatic cooking oil house to house.

While the old generation laments that a time-honoured tradition is fading, young people are not keen on continuing mustard farming. Dangol, now 76 years old, is the last member of his family involved in the mustard oil business.

“Around 100 people used to work in a single mill in the past when they were community-owned,” said Dangol. “But nowadays, the majority of the mills are owned by rich individuals.”

Purna Lal Dangol, another senior citizen in the area, says mustard cultivation has declined steeply. “People are not keen on growing mustard as it is easier to import the seeds,” said Purna Lal.

The history of oil processing in Khokana dates back nearly a century when Rana Prime Minister Juddha Shumsher commissioned the establishment of Gabu Jaaysha Oil Mill.

More community-owned oil mills were established in the following years, which processed mustard seeds locally produced and brought from surrounding areas like Kirtipur, Chitlang and Pharping.

Those were the days. While the existing mills run on imported mustard seeds, the shelves of local grocery stores are filled with sunflower and soybean oil.

Rasta Maharjan, the representative of Gabu Jaaysha Oil Mill, said the mills have been depending on imported mustard seeds with the fall in local production.

“Local farmers produce mustard in small quantities,” said Maharjan. “We import most of our raw materials from Canada, Australia and Ukraine.”

Rasta’s father Kanchha Maharjan leased the community-owned mill seven years ago as it was left neglected after being damaged by the 1988 earthquake.

The mill employs two full-time workers, and it’s the only mill that still uses the original manual method of processing oil. The mill produces 20-25 litres of mustard oil daily, and it's also a place to see for visitors.

There are around 20 oil mills operating in and around Khokana, out of which four are community-owned. According to a local, the mill owners mix local and imported mustard seeds to recreate the original taste and fragrance of Khokana’s mustard.

Buddha Dangol and Asta Ram Maharjan, owners of Khokana Teypu Oil Mill, remember walking up to Dhunbesi, a town in Dhading, to sell oil along with his father when he was a child.

“We used to sell oil and return with seeds,” said Dangol. “Now we get the seeds from Australia.”

Dangol’s family has been in the oil business for three generations, and so is almost everyone’s family in Khokana. But very few of the younger generation are in the business now.

“My father was famed in Patan for selling oil. He too took me along when I was a kid,” added Dangol. “I didn't feel like joining the business after I grew up, and opened a furniture factory. But now I am back in the oil mill, and I am very optimistic about its future.”

Dangol’s mill now employs five workers and produces around 150 litres of oil daily. His product is sold from his factory outlet as well as chain stores in Kathmandu valley. He is also trying to recreate the quality and fragrance of authentic Khokana mustard oil using mustard from Chitwan.

Some locals are also making efforts to revive the former glory of the village.

Asta Ram Maharjan is trying to unite the local mill owners to adopt a uniform strategy for marketing, pricing and operating oil mills. The group wants to maintain a unified inventory for all the local mills and sell the oil under the same brand name.

“We are in the process of certifying only the mustard oil processed by the mills in our community to use the Khokana brand on the label,” said Dangol. “This will prevent customers from getting scammed by counterfeit products.”

According to Asta Ram, they will start the campaign with mustard oil and later include other local products in their portfolio.

The statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development show that Nepal produced 220,250 tonnes of mustard on 198,197 hectares in the fiscal year 2020-21.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, Nepal ranks at the top in mustard seed production globally, followed by Russia and Canada.