Briquette producers’ association of Nepal: Outset of a sustainable and professional business system for briquette sector in Nepal
Briquette Producers’ Association of Nepal has been established in Nepal with facilitation from ANSAB under the Forest Connect Initiative in Nepal. The Association has been established to address the issues, challenges and opportunities of the sector in order to build a sustainable business system for the benefit of the producers. In Nepal there are significant numbers of briquette enterprises in different parts of the country and they have taken considerable efforts to enhance production and marketing of the products since more than half decades. However, their efforts are unsuccessful because they are taken at individual levels by the enterprises, which are themselves distributed in different parts of the country. There are also opportunities linked to the briquette sector in Nepal because briquette is being used by the general public as an alternative to electricity and imported fuel by the general public. With this view in mind, ANSAB in association with Himalayan Naturals – a leading a briquette producing and marketing company based in Kathmandu – realized for an association to promote the sector in the country. The organizations identified and communicated with the major briquette producers of the country, and organized their meeting on August 20, 2011 at ANSAB Headquarters, Kathmandu. Participants discussed on the issues, challenges and opportunities of the briquette sector in Nepal, and on the constitution of the briquette producers’ association. The meeting finalized the constitution, unanimously elected a seven-member executive committee, and developed a year work-plan of the Association. The developed work plan includes the registration of the Association, formation of quality control committee, preparation of guidelines on production technology, research on binding/ignition materials and technology, coordination with government and non government organizations, resource mobilization of the association, entrepreneurship development, area diversification and exposure visit within the first year, which the Forest Connect Program Coordinator Sudarshan Khanal believes will guide for building a sustainable and professional business system for the benefit of the briquette producers and the sector.