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A Nepalese lady is colouring paper in a Kathmandu
paper factory
Low income workers across Nepal are finding employment in the production
of exclusive handmade paper. From the rural areas to the cities,
thousands of people are daily working in paper factories employing a
simple, old-fashioned manufacturing process that has been used in Nepal
for ages. The raw material is collected from plants in the hills,
shredded, turned into a pulp, put in frames and dried in the sunshine.
Because of the dependence of the sun, the production comes to a halt
during the wet monsoon period. The result is luxurious sheets of paper
that can be further processed into products such as notebooks,
envelopes, calendars etc. While some of it is exported, most of the
paper is sold on the domestic market and to tourists. A 40 by 60 cm sheet
of paper sells for approximately 10 cents when bought at wholesale
prices directly from the factory.
Rich in texture, handmade Nepalese paper also
finds use as exclusive letter paper
Handicraft production like handmade paper provides a good source of
revenue for low income families and helps to balance economic
inequalities in Nepal and other least developed countries. A handicraft
production facility can usually be established with a low investment and
it provides employment opportunities to unskilled labor. As such, it is
a good tool for economic development in societies with large
inequalities in wealth distribution.
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