KATHMANDU: Three meat processing companies with combined investments exceeding Rs30 billion have been registered in Nepal to export processed buffalo meat to China, marking one of the country’s largest foreign investment initiatives in the agro-processing sector.

According to the Department of Industry, the projects, to be established in Sindhuli and Makwanpur districts, are expected to create more than 7,000 direct jobs.

The largest project is Jian Foods Pvt. Ltd., which will be established in Marin Rural Municipality-4 of Sindhuli with a total investment of Rs26.4 billion. The company is backed by Chengdu Jian Food Co. Ltd. of China’s Sichuan Province and will receive Rs23.52 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI), while Rs2.88 billion will come from domestic investors.

The company plans to produce 280,000 tonnes of processed buffalo meat and 190,000 tonnes of by-products, including hides, internal organs and heads, annually. The project is expected to employ 5,156 people and aims to export processed buffalo meat worth approximately Rs150 billion annually to China.

The venture is being developed in partnership with Nepal’s Himalayan Food International Pvt. Ltd. Dr. Navin Sharma is leading the project, while Chinese representative Bu Xiang, from Hengdu Jian Food Ltd., will serve as chairman. Himalayan Food International will oversee local operations, livestock expansion and raw material supply.

Another project, Manaslu Meats Pvt. Ltd., will be established in Bakaiya Rural Municipality-7 of Makwanpur with an investment of Rs3 billion, including Rs2.45 billion in foreign investment and Rs548 million in domestic capital.

The company plans to produce 42,000 tonnes of processed buffalo meat and 22,000 tonnes of by-products annually and will provide employment to 1,016 people.

A third company, International Meat Processing Everest Pvt. Ltd., will also be established in Bakaiya Rural Municipality-5 with a total investment of Rs250 million, including Rs170 million in foreign investment and Rs80 million in domestic investment.

The company has proposed annual production of 30,000 tonnes of processed meat, 101,250 tonnes of buffalo hides, 12,000 tonnes of bone meal, and 300 tonnes of chicken feet, creating 440 direct jobs.

Officials expect the projects to stimulate investment across Nepal’s buffalo farming, meat processing, cold-chain logistics, leather processing and by-product industries.

Nepal has been seeking access to the Chinese market for buffalo meat for several years. However, exports have faced delays after Chinese authorities refused to accept meat processed in Nepal from buffaloes imported from India.

China’s General Administration of Customs informed Nepal’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development last year that buffalo meat exported from Nepal must come exclusively from animals born and raised in Nepal and under 30 months of age, conditions that remain mandatory for market access.