Dunatapari made out of betel nut leaf empower women economically

By Bishnu Prasad Pokhrel,Damak, Oct. 20: Dunatapari (leaf plate) produced locally in Jhapa using betel nut leaves is now being exported internationally. A company called Leaf Plus has been producing dunatapari in Jhapa and exporting it to Germany and the United States. Additionally, the Nepal Government has also declared Jhapa as the ‘betel nut zone’. 

CPN-UML Chairman and former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli bid farewell to a container of Dunatapari being exported to Germany. He also visited the industries manufacturing dunatapari and inquired about its demand and supply. 

According to Suvhabiman Acharya, director of Leaf Plus, the demand for dunatapari is high both domestically and internationally due to its biodegradability and health benefits. 

He said that dunatapari are being exported to the United States and Germany.  “Betel nut leaves which were not widely used in the past are now gaining value in the market. 

When utilized properly, they can serve as a significant source of income, and employment opportunity can be created for the locals,” said Acharya.

“People were now using dunatapari instead of plastic products, and the production of dunatapari is directly contributing to the economic empowerment of women, marginalised, and farmers in the local level.

If we look at the history of betel cultivation in Nepal, we can find that betel nut trees were planted to decorate gardens in Jhapa.  And after Jhapa being declared as betel nut zone, people started expanding betel nut farming and producing dunatapari from its leaves.  According to Rabindra Subedi, Chief Agriculture Development Officer, Jhapa,  under the Prime Minister's Agriculture Modernisation Project, late 

Gangadhar Ghimire from Shantinagar had brought betel nut seeds from Assam, Tejpur, in the Fiscal Year 1930/31 and started cultivating betel nuts in Jhapa. 

He said that in 2018, the Nepal Government had declared Buddhashanti Rural Municipality, Arjundhara Municipality and Ward No. 1, 2, 3 and 4 of Mechi Municipality as betel nut zone.