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Every few weeks, Mina Sodari makes a short journey from Lamki Bazar to Kuntikhet, Kailali. The three-kilometer trip brings her to Srijanshil Duna Tapari Industry, a modest cottage enterprise that has become an essential part of her family’s religious life. As a member of a Hindu household, Dodari frequently observes festivals, rituals, and pujas—occasions where duna and tapari (traditional leaf plates) are indispensable. 

“I come whenever we have a ceremony at home,” she says, sorting stacks of freshly made taparis. “They are natural, clean, and perfect for our rituals.” 

Behind the simple structure of the workshop, away from the bustle of Lamki Bazar, a quiet transformation has been unfolding—one that intertwines tradition, livelihood, and conservation. 

The man behind this is 62-year-old Birbahadur Bohara, a retired government schoolteacher who stumbled into the leaf-plate business after a series of failed ventures. He and his wife Dhankumari Kunwar own the enterprise.  

“After retirement, I tried vegetable farming and poultry, but each attempt went into loss,” Bohara recalls. “People joked that I was cursed in business. Some even said I was mad to start making duna and tapari, because no one would buy them.” Duna and tapari making is a traditional leaf plate making work which is done in the family and is not generally used for commercial purposes.  

But the skepticism around him never outweighed his conviction. Four years ago, he started Srijanshil Duna Tapari Industry, beginning with a single machine supported by Lamki Chuha Municipality. Initially, production was small and demand uncertain. Still, he persisted, believing that Nepal’s cultural traditions—and rising environmental concerns—would eventually bring customers back to leaf plates instead of plastic or thermocol. 

His instincts turned out to be right. Two years ago, the enterprise received a significant boost. WWF Nepal and the GEF-supported Integrated Landscape Management to Secure Nepal’s Protected Areas and Critical Corridors (ILaM) project, under the Ministry of Forests and Environment, provided a second machine. With two machines, production doubled almost overnight. 

Today, a small duna sells for Rs 1, while a larger tapari fetches Rs 5. The business may seem modest, but in a rural economy, the numbers tell a larger story. Last year, Bohara earned a profit of around Rs 90,000. This year, he has already crossed Rs 200,000. “This is a respectable and profitable business,” he says with an unmistakable sense of pride. “And it’s growing. I want to add one more machine.” 

The heart of the operation, however, is not the machines—it is the eight women who collect the raw materials and prepare the leaves. Every day, they head to Janakalya Community Forest, where the group is allowed to gather leaves free of charge. Back in the village, they sort, dry, and ready the leaves for pressing. 

For every tapari they help produce, Bohara pays them Rs 2. For every five duna, they earn the same. “It’s not just income,” says one of the women. “It’s a way to support our families without having to migrate or depend on irregular farm work.” 

The work may be rooted in tradition, but it also carries an environmental message. Leaf plates, made from sal leaves, decompose naturally and reduce reliance on plastic products that have become a growing pollution problem in rural and urban Nepal. 

As the business thrives, Bohara is no longer just a producer—he has become a trainer. Villagers from nearby settlements often visit the workshop to learn how to operate the machines and understand the process. Some hope to start similar ventures, inspired by Bohara’s journey. “I don’t want this skill to stay only with me,” he says. “If more people learn, more families will earn. And the environment benefits as well.” 

What began as a small, almost ridiculed experiment has grown into a symbol of sustainable rural entrepreneurship.  

In Kailali’s quiet corners, where tradition meets environmental stewardship, Srijanshil Duna Tapari Industry stands as proof that old practices can power new livelihoods. For Sodari and countless families like hers, the simple leaf plates carry cultural significance. But for people like Bohara and the women he employs, each duna and tapari represents something more—dignity, income, and the promise of a greener future.  

The Federal Government has established the Animal Quarantine Office in Pokhara.

The Livestock Service Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development set up the Office at Lamapatan in Pokhara Metropolitan City-15, Pokhara.

Ministry's Joint Secretary Pashupati Dhungana and Department's Director General Dr Ram Nandan Tiwari jointly inaugurated the animal quarantine facility on Monday amid an event. 

Two permanent check posts have been managed under this Office.

Chief of the Animal Quarantine Office, Pokhara, Dr Kiran Pandey said that the check posts are in the Pokhara International Airport and Korola Border Point along the Nepal-China border in Mustang district.

The quarantine office is tasked to regulate the imports of animal products and reduce the risk of infections that could transmit through the animal products, according to Chief of Pokhara Office Pandey.

Likewise, the establishment of the quarantine facility in Pokhara is expected to play a crucial role in promoting national and international trading of animal products.

During the inaugural event, officials from the federal, province and local levels were present.

Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development of Nepal Dr Madan Prasad Pariyar today attended the Thirtieth Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30), being held in Belém, Brazil, from 10–21 November 2025, renewing its call for stronger global climate justice efforts.

The Ministerial segment of COP30 officially began this morning with remarks from Vice President of Brazil Geraldo Alckmin, the President of COP30 André Corrêa do Lago, ministers, and senior UN officials.

In his address, Minister Pariyar highlighted Nepal’s major climate challenges—ranging from retreating glaciers and severe drought to unseasonal floods and impacts on agriculture, reads a statement issued by the Nepali Embassy in Brazil.

He outlined Nepal’s ambitious NDC3.0, which charts a trajectory toward zero emissions by 2045. “As one of the world’s most nature-connected nations, our forest cover now exceeds 46 percent."

Calling on developed countries to fulfill past commitments on climate finance, the minister added that it is the duty of every country to submit ambitious NDCs, fulfill treaty obligations, and honor the ICJ Advisory Opinion on climate justice.

He emphasized that all parties, including emerging economies, must engage constructively to keep the 1.5-degree goal within reach.

Minister Pariyar also pressed for the urgent need to integrate a dedicated mountain agenda into UNFCCC processes, referring to the Sagarmatha Sambaad held in Kathmandu in May this year, according to the statement.

Prior to his statement, Minister Pariyar interacted with stakeholders—both present in Belém and online—on progress made so far and the way forward. Participants were briefed on Nepal’s engagements in various agenda areas, including climate finance, adaptation, Loss and Damage, transparency, Global Stocktake, gender, and mountains.

Apart from his intervention at the plenary, Minister Pariyar also attended important side events and engaged at both bilateral and multilateral levels.

Attending an event organized by the Fossil Fuel Treaty Initiative aimed at achieving a just and equitable transition away from fossil fuels this morning, the minister outlined Nepal’s plans to scale up clean-energy practices, including the increasing adoption of EVs and electric ovens.

Also today, he joined the Ministerial Meeting of LDCs, which marked the handover of the presidency of the LDC Group on climate change.

Speaking at the meeting, Minister Pariyar appreciated the contributions of Malawi as the outgoing Chair in advancing the Group’s priorities, while pledging Nepal’s solidarity and support to the incoming presidency of Timor-Leste, the statement further reads.

Later in the afternoon, he joined ministers from member countries of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) to amplify collective efforts to protect climate and biodiversity by safeguarding big cats. As a founding member of IBCA, Nepal reiterated its firm commitment to advancing the Alliance’s goals.

As part of his bilateral engagements, he met yesterday with Ibrahim Cheikh Diong, Executive Director of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage. The two sides exchanged views on opportunities for Nepal to access financing from the Loss and Damage Fund for suitable national projects. Minister Pariyar is scheduled to meet Bhupender Yadav, India’s Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, on the sidelines tomorrow.

Nepal will host a side event entitled “Sagarmatha to Belém: Advancing Climate Action”, with the objective of reviewing progress made since the adoption of the Sagarmatha Call for Action and developing strategies to advance the mountain agenda within the UNFCCC processes, according to the statement.

Ministers and senior officials from mountainous countries, along with UN officials, will be attending the event.

He is also scheduled to participate in the Ministerial event “Melting Point and the 1.5°C Goal: Global Impacts of Cryosphere Loss and Pathways to Return from Overshoot”, organized by the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative.

The Minister, who arrived in Belém on November 15, is scheduled to return home on November 19.

The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police arrested two fugitive prisoners from the Kathmandu Valley. 

Those arrested include Gita Lama of Gajuri Rural Municipality-2 in Dhading district and Mangal Narayan Mohan Maharjan of Kathmandu.  

Lama and Maharjan had fled from the Sundhara-based Jagannath Dewal jail during the Gen-Z protests on September 9.  

Lama was jailed on a murder case while Maharjan was convicted for smuggling gold, Senior Superintendent of Police and Spokesperson of CIB Shiva Kumar Shrestha confirmed. 

Lama was sentenced to jail for 22 years in 2019. Maharjan was jailed for one year and fined Rs 10.8 million for gold smuggling.

It is said that the CIB held Lama from Dhobighat in Lalitpur Metropolitan City-3 and Maharjan from Dhobichaur in Kathmandu.