BENI : Ramesh KC, 39, returned to Nepal in 2011 after languishing in a Qatar jail for six months. His dream of earning money in the foreign land was shattered when he was arrested in Qatar for over-staying.
However, the three-month jail term in Qatar became an opportunity for KC, who spent nearly eight years in different Gulf countries, to develop a plan to set up business in Nepal.

According to KC, he started commercial farming of water buffaloes with Rs 100,000 borrowed from Youth and Small Entrepreneur Self-Employment Fund (YSEF) through Didi Bahini Saving and Credit Cooperatives located at Beni.
“I implemented my business idea, which I conceived in Qatar, right after I returned to Nepal,” said KC.
In just three years, investment in his farm has increased multi-fold. “I have already invested Rs 6 million in my farm. While 60 percent is my own investment, remaining 40 percent was arranged through loans,” he added.
At present, KC has seven water buffaloes of improved breed in his farm. Besides, he operates a dairy firm in his own village Thulokhola which lies 10 kilometers north from Beni. He also collects milk from other farmers of his village
According to KC, he is earning Rs 150,000 per month. “A year earlier, I use to sell only 110 liters of milk per day. Now, I am selling as much as 400 liters per day,” shared KC.
KC, who earlier used to take milk to market in his motorbike, has now bought a pick-up van.
“There is abundant opportunity here. You may earn money in the foreign land, but you can earn money as well as social prestige here,” he said, advising youth to look for opportunities in their own backyard.
Hom Bahadur Budha also has similar story to share. Budha, 31, returned home four years ago after working in Malaysia for five years. Soon after returning from Malaysia, he started a poultry farm with Rs 100,000 borrowed from YSEF through Didi Bahini Saving and Credit Cooperatives. “To start a business, what matters most is idea not money. I didn’t have a single penny when I returned from Malaysia,” Budha said, adding, “Today, I have invested more than Rs 7 million in my farm.”
According to Budha, he sells poultry products worth Rs 100,000 a month. He has 3,500 chickens in his farm.
Not only in his village, Budha has also been selling his products in Beni. “It is very difficult to meet demands. Most of the buyers are from my own village. Local villagers can easily afford poultry products as most of the households have their family members working abroad,” he added.
Local villagers have lauded efforts of these two migrant returnees to explore opportunities in the village itself. “While almost every youth are deserting the village to ply their trade in foreign countries, these two youths have showed that there is opportunity even in the village. They have become role models of our village,” Shreeram Lama, 61, told Republica.
Myagdi is one of the top remittance receiving districts of the country.

– Republica Daily