Rajpur Rokaya in far-western Nepal has been engaged in commercial farming for the last two years with training from the local government.

Rokaya of Ramaroshan rural municipality Ward 5 has registered an agriculture firm as she aspires to become an entrepreneur. The rural municipality provided intensive training in agriculture and hosiery, from which 21 other women also benefitted.

A farmer of seasonal vegetables, Rokaya has a complaint though.

“I have been producing all types of seasonal vegetables. I did hard work, but most of my produce is rotting as it finds no market,” she said.

She has now switched to another profession. “I have started weaving carpet, sweaters and khada, a traditional Nepali scarf.”

“I brought raw materials from Dhangadhi to make the scarf, hoping the rural municipality would buy. But it didn’t,” Rokaya said.

“Though the rural municipality provided entrepreneurship training to women, their products have no access to the market. The local government has also ignored the products made by women,” she said.

She cannot even open a shop because she lives in a village far from a residential area. There is no transportation to take her products to Mangalsen and Sanphebagar, the key markets in the district.

Sarashowti Kunwar of Bannigadhi, Jayagadh rural municipality, is operating handmade hosiery.

She started producing hosiery goods a year ago and still faces a lack of market.

She received a subsidy from Jayagadh Rural Municipality for a machine. However, her business is not taking off as expected, as people are not attracted to local products.

“People buy imported clothes and shoes, however expensive they are. They ignore the local products. It’s difficult to convince them about their durability and quality,” Kunwar said. “Some people say products or goods made by women are not good.”

Kunwar, who wanted to expand the business by hiring workers if the company went well, has changed her plans.

Nisha Bista, 20, from Mangalsen Municipality Ward 4 is rearing goats.

A bachelor-level student, she has registered a firm at the Department of Cottage and Small Industries and has 25 goats.

“I always felt the need to be an independent woman. My family used to keep a few goats, but there was no benefit from them. So, at the suggestion of my family, I increased the number of goats by registering a firm,” Bista said.

Bista takes the help of family members to look after the animals. She heard about a subsidy for entrepreneurs.

“I went many places. Except for a little support from the Agriculture Knowledge Centre and an NGO, I received no support.”

Though Bista visited the local level office repeatedly, she was ignored.

“The local level does not provide subsidies, fearing that I am a woman, who will get married, and my business will not run for a long time.”

There is also a lack of pasture for grazing goats.

Indira Regmi Adhikari, president of the Women Entrepreneurs Association, Achham, said that the subsidy and other support that comes in the name of women entrepreneurs is given to other people who are close to political leaders and officials through fake documentation.

According to the association, local people do not consume goods produced at the local level as they do not trust women entrepreneurs.

“Doing business is not easy. It requires investment, human resource, raw materials and machinery. Despite doing all the hard work, people do not trust our product,” Adhikari said.

There are enterprises and industries registered in the name of women, but women do not manage them. Adhikari said the tax waiver for industry registration, ease of getting a bank loan, and other subsidies provided to women are misused in the name of women.

According to the association, 82 women from Mangalsen, Kamalbazar, and Binayak in the district are engaged in small-scale industries and businesses.

“We have decided to unite to raise awareness by bringing all women entrepreneurs in one place. The local government ignores women doing business in rural areas,” said Adhikari.