Rong Rural Municipality branding Gundruk, Sinki

Prem Adhikari Pashupatinagar, June 26: The Rong Municipality of Ilam is going to brand generations-old indigenous dishes, Gundruk and Sinki (fermented leafy green vegetables).  

Aiming to uplift the living standards of the local farmers, the rural municipality has forwarded its plan to branding Gundruk and Sinki. Presenting its policy and programme at the 13th rural municipal assembly, the rural municipality announced its plan to implement the task.

The rural municipality aims to increase the production of Gundruk and Sinki there and market of the products. Gundruk and Sinki is a popular food item in Nepal and is claimed to be one of the national dishes. Gundruk can be prepared from the fermentation of leafy vegetables like mustard greens and radish green while Sinki can be prepared from radish tap roots.

Mani Kumar Syangbo, chairman of the rural municipality, said they would provide seeds of the green vegetables to the farmers for 'branding' of Gundruk Sinki. “The rural municipality will also help the farmers to find a larger market. We will also conduct training to produce the items,” he said.

They would assist the farmers in the production, packaging and marketing of Gundruk and Sinki, said Syangbo.

Chairman Syangbo said, "We will not let the products of the farmers go to waste. We will find a larger market for our locally produced items.”

Chief administrative officer of the rural municipality Dipendra Dahal said the rural municipality would provide a grant of Rs. 80 per/kg for branding Gundruk and Sinki. Dahal said, "Our goal is to produce as much Gundruk and Sinki as possible. For this we will assist the farmers.”

Gundruk and Sinki are being produced in all six wards of the rural municipality.

The rural municipality has allocated Rs. 300,000 for the project in the fiscal year 2022/23, added Dahal. Recently, the locally produced Gundruk and Sinki is being sold by the street vendors along the Mechi Highway while few amounts are being sent to the market of Jhapa and some parts of India.

Currently, the locally produced Gundruk and Sinki are being sold in the local market in polythene bags, without labeling and packaging. Mostly the tourists who came to visit Ilam are the consumers of the locally produced Gundruk and Sinki.

Once the branding is done, the locally produced Gundruk and Sinki would get a larger market, said chairman Syangbo.