Amliso traders rue as price falls

By Our Correspondent,Urlabari, Aug. 25: As the prices continue to fall, amliso, tiger grass (commonly known as broom grass) worth millions of rupees has been stored in the godowns of the big businessmen in north Morang. 

Traders who bought raw amliso from the farmers at Rs. 70 per kg in January-February are forced to sell them at Rs. 65 to Rs. 70 even after six months. 

“After drying, around 200 grams will be reduced in a kg. On the one hand, the weight decreases. On the other, the price has decreased. We are at loss,” said the traders. 

Traders said that the costs would be recovered only when selling a kilo of dried amliso at Rs. 95 to Rs. 110. 

Devnath Chaudhary, who has been buying and selling amliso at Miklajung Rural Municiplaity-9 Madhumalla market for 20 years, said that there was no situation to recover cost this year due to declined prices.

He said that instead of freezing millions of rupees, they are selling even at loss. 

Chaudhary has been selling around 15 to 18 trucks of amliso every year. There are 16 big businessmen like Chaudhary in Miklajung and Letang alone. 

According to Chaudhary, everyone sells 15 to 18 trucks of amliso. Amliso is the best source of income for farmers in the north of Morang. Farmers sell amliso from January to February. 

Farmers said that this year raw amliso was sold at Rs. 65 to Rs. 70. 

In 2071 B.S., Krishna Prasad Limbu of Letang Municipality-7 (then Warangi Village Development Committee-6) of north Morang expanded amliso cultivation to 20 ropanies of land after getting a better price than expected. 

But in 2072 B.S., the selling price could not go above Rs. 45 per kg.

Limbu, who earned Rs. 200,000 by deducting all expenses while cultivating amliso in 15 ropanies of land, sold 22 quintals of amliso this year. 

According to farmers, the price of amliso has been fluctuating significantly for the last 10 years.

With road access, farmers can sell amliso from home. But due to the reduction in prices, farmers are not attracted to this farming.

Trader Gopal Barakoti, who has been purchasing amliso from Letang market, said that amliso, which was bought in January at Rs. 60 per kg, now the Indian businessmen are not willing to buy it at Rs. 60. Barakoti said that around 500 quintals of amliso is stored in his warehouse. 

The price of amliso has decreased by 30 per cent as compared to the price of raw amliso purchased in January.

He said that there is a loss of hundreds of thousands rupees while waiting for the price after collecting the amliso bought in cash from the farmers.

Amliso is one of the major cash crops exported from Nepal.

According to Devraj Neupane, Information Officer of Trade and Export Promotion Centre, Biratnagar, around 13.5 million kgs of amliso worth Rs. 1.32 billion was exported in the last fiscal year 2023/24. 

The export of amliso in terms of amount is Rs. 310 million higher in the last fiscal year as compared to the export of previous fiscal year.

In the fiscal year 2022/23, amliso worth Rs. 1.08 billion had been exported.Neupane said that if the price of amliso goes up as in the past, amliso will occupy the major share of export.