Nepal is developing county with an agricultural
economy. In recent years, the country's efforts to expand into
manufacturing industries and other technological sectors have
achieved much progress. Farming is the main economic activity
followed by manufacturing, trade and tourism. The chief sources of
foreign currency earnings are merchandise export, services,
tourism and Gurkha remittances. The annual Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) is about US$ 4.3 Billion.
Agriculture :- Eight out of 10 Nepalese
are engaged in farming and it accounts for more than 40% of the
GDP. Rolling fields and neat terraces can be seen all over the
Terai flatlands and the hills of Nepal. Even in the highly
urbanized Kathmandu Valley, large tracts of land outside the city
areas are devoted to farming. Rice is the staple diet in Nepal and
around three million tons are produced annually. Other major crops
are maize, wheat, millet and barley. Besides food grains, Cash
crops Like Sugarcane, oil seeds, tobacco, jute and tea are also
cultivated in large quantities,
Manufacturing :- Manufacturing is still
at the developmental stage and it represents less than 10% of the
GDP. Major industries are woolen carpets, garments, textiles,
leather products, paper and cement. Other products made in Nepal
are steel utensils, cigarettes, beverages and sugar. There are
many modern large-scale factories but the majority are cottage or
small scale operations. Most of Nepal's industries are based in
the Kathmandu Valley and a string of Small towns in the southern
Terai Plains.
Trade :- Commerce has been a major
occupation in Nepal since early times. Being situated at the
crossroads of the ancient Trans-Himalayan trade route, trading is
second nature to the Nepalese people. Foreign trade is
characterized mainly by import of manufactured products and export
of agricultural raw materials. Nepal imports manufactured goods
and petroleum products worth about US$ 1 billion annually. The
value of exports is about US$ 315 million. Woolen carpets are
Nepal's largest export, earning the country over US$ 135 million
per year. Garment exports account for more than US$ 74 million and
handicraft goods bring in about US$ 1 million. Other important
exports are pulses, hides and skins, jute and medicinal herbs.
Tourism :- In 1998, a total of 463,684
tourists visited Nepal, making tourism one of the largest
industries in the Kingdom. This sector has been expanding rapidly
since its inception in the 1950. Thanks to Nepal's natural beauty,
rich cultural heritage and the diversity of sight-seeing and
adventure opportunities available. At one time, tourism used to be
the biggest foreign currency earner for the country. Nepal earned
over US$ 152 million from tourism in 1998. |