Producing in Nepal...

[Udaya Bikram Thapa]

Hi,
I am writing from Kathmandu, Nepal. I have been working in natural fibres for a long time now and can produce from fibre, to yarn, to textile and then the finished goods. I see that most of the buyers who come to Nepal to do production say I am a bit expensive, however I feel they are asking for unrealistically low prices. I pay all my bills, have to give people wages and then the process of the whole production is very long. I have thought about how other people can give lower prices than me for a long time and I think I finally figured it out and thought I would like to share this with all of you. Most of the buyers who come to Nepal are buying from set-ups who are NGOs or someone who has in some way been funded by the World Bank, or Asian Development Bank or some other organisation. I do not belong to that bracket at all. I am an entrepreneur. All this aid is killing all the people like me. All the funding and all the aid money is the reason others in Nepal can give 'FAIRER' prices than me. Do you think this is fair??
I tried to join the FAIR TRADE GROUP NEPAL but I was always pushed aside and only very recently I found out why. To join the FT group in Nepal you had to be an NGO. What sort of fair trade is that? So now on all the goods that I produce and sell I write 'fairly traded'. Do you think this is fair??
I would love to hear back from anyone. To discuss ideas of how to find buyers who would like to work with real entrepreneurs who are not funded by any organisation.
Take care,
Udaya

[Udaya Bikram Thapa]

Thank you Alberto for your informative reply. I will look into this furthur. I did try many times to approach them many times in the years before but i think this enterprise word must have been added not too long back. Thank you once again for the info and I will look into it. Although working with hemp in Nepal is trying to support the people who do the real work in the mountains and in this way money does get to the real people who weave the cloth and who make the yarns. I am these days also involved with Federation of Nepal Cottage and Small Industries to try and promote the use of naturla fibres to others in Nepal. We travel to different places sharing knowledge and teaching peole how to make the fibre and then the yarns and the finished goods. I would like to hear more of your thoughts on other things. Thanks again. Take care,
Udaya

[Alberto Saccavini]

Dear Udaya Bikram Thapa,
I'm Alberto Saccavini, I work for Craft Resource Center, an Indian Fair Trade Organization. We are members of the World Fair Trade Organization-WFTO since 2004 and working in Sustainable Development since 19 years. We are a registered company (a Private Limited) according to the Indian low. In these years we did never receive any help (grants or donations) by any organization, but based all our work on the goods we could produce and the sales we could make, with just one objective: to support the small and disadvantaged artisan groups in India.
On Fair Trade Group Nepal website you can find the 10 criteria for membership (http://www.fairtradegroupnepal.org/?page_id=25). Point number Ten of the above criteria states clearly that are eligible of membership any “NGO or enterprise based on craft/agro/non timber forest product, fulfilling all the membership criteria”
These criteria are recognized and approved by the Asian Fair Trade Forum and WFTO.
I can suggest you to contact directly the FTG-Nepal and ask them clarifications about the rejection of your membership application.
Reading your post and the comment made by your UK-based counterpart I can tell you (even though I’m sure you are fully aware) that Fair Trade is much more then staff “treated properly, with holidays and above-average wages, along with good working conditions”.
Again on FTG-Nepal web site you can find with in their “Criteria for Membership” and “Code of Conduct”. For more information about Fair Trade you can check www.wfto.com.

Best Regards and
Good luck for your business

Alberto Saccavini
[e-mail]
www.fairandsquare.co.in

[Marilyn Stapleton]

Udaya is my son-in-law and my husband, Graham, and I are the UK arm of the business. We trade as http://www.wildweaves.co.uk/vmchk.html selling Udaya's brand Heaven Hemp.

We have been many times to Nepal and can indeed confirm that we have seen Udaya's business operation at first hand. He employs permanent staff who are treated properly, with holidays and above-average wages, along with good working conditions.

It is difficult to develop any business if buyers do not understand the costs involved in producing ethical goods, and will not pay a fair price.

Marilyn and Graham Stapleton
Wildweaves