Lokta goes to wastes as paper factory shuts down

By Gokarna Dayal,Baitadi, Sept. 28: Nepali handmade paper produced in Baitadi has stopped selling, leaving the raw material, lokta, to go to waste. 

Lokta shrubs, found in local forests, are used to make Nepali paper. But production has halted because government offices in the district no longer use it for letterheads, envelopes and other purposes.

The Jalahalla Nepali Handmade Paper Factory at Chaukham of Sigas Rural Municipality-9, has shut down, with seven quintals of raw material left unused. 

Paper maker Bir Bahadur Chand, 80, who had permission to use up to 23 tonnes of lokta annually from the community forest after paying fees, said he is disappointed to see the stockpile go to waste.

He explained the industry could produce 15 to 20 kori of paper daily (one kori contains 20 sheets). Despite using Japanese technology that improved paper quality, Chand said that offices and organisations have shown no interest in buying it.

Chand had started the industry in 2013, and until the COVID-19 outbreak, his paper was even sold in Kathmandu. Earlier, he produced paper by hand-pressing lokta on stone but later trained in Japanese methods.

In 2009, he registered the Udaydev Community Forest with local leaders and expanded lokta plantations in six forest blocks. Now, each block produces usable lokta once a month.

Chand said he feels discouraged because none of Baitadi’s 10 local governments and 84 wards buy the locally made paper, preferring to purchase mass-produced paper from larger companies. 

He added that Nepali paper, which is resistant to termites, has unique value, but local authorities have failed to recognise it.

He believed if government offices and local bodies in the district supported the industry by using the locally produced paper, the business could thrive again.