Nepali Entrepreneur Finds Success and Satisfaction in Domestic Fish Farming After UAE Experience

Jhapa. Amidst the common perception that going abroad is success, Shailendra Sitoula from Haldibari-4, Jhalthal, has presented an example that self-satisfaction and economic progress are both achievable by working hard on Nepali soil after returning from overseas.

After completing his undergraduate studies, Shailendra went to Dubai, UAE, on a visit visa in 2015, but he did not stay there for even a year. Seeing successful agriculture and animal husbandry using modern technology in the desert country, despite limited water and adverse conditions, changed his mindset. "If farming is possible in the desert, why not in green Nepal?" This question brought him back to his homeland.

After returning to Nepal in B.S. 2074, Shailendra started fish farming on two bighas of land in Haldibari. Initially, he invested about 1 million rupees to construct ponds, embankments, and other structures. Currently, he has five ponds where commercial fish farming is underway.

His farm primarily raises Pangasius species of fish. There are also some Carp species. Small ponds are kept separately for producing fish fry. Currently, there are about 35,000 fry in his ponds.

The fish ready for market weigh between one kg and 2.5 kg. Shailendra states that he sends about 30 tons of fish to the market annually. Through fish farming, he has provided direct employment to three people. "My desire is that others do not have to face the compulsion to go abroad," he says, "This business has also employed others; this is the biggest achievement."

He mentions that the annual income, after deducting expenses, is over 1.6 million rupees. A profit of about 20 percent of the total investment has been realized. Shailendra's experience is that the fish farming business has been doing well since the beginning.

However, success is not without challenges. He states that the biggest problems are the market and pricing. According to him, fish are bought from farmers for 240 rupees per kg, but the same fish are sold in the market for 300 to 350 rupees. "We produce, we take risks, but middlemen set the price," he complains. Although the main market is the agricultural wholesale market in Birtamod, farmers' access and influence are limited, he says.

Another problem is fish illegally smuggled from India. According to Shailendra, some dead fish from India enter the Nepali market using formalin, which not only increases health risks for consumers but also forces domestic farmers to sell at lower prices.

"If the government could strictly control the fish coming from India for just two or three months, it would be a great relief for farmers like us," he says. Shailendra is proud to introduce himself as a farmer. "Agriculture is a respectable profession," he said, "It gives self-satisfaction. For me, that is the greatest earning."

According to him, while the compulsion for youth to go abroad exists, Shailendra believes that many youths could remain in Nepal if policies, markets, and protection were appropriate.