Your cover story, The High-End View (New Business Age, March 2015) was a good attempt at giving a good picture of the current television market and trends in the country. As shown by the story also, the country’s television market has grown considerably over the past few years. But there is a downside to this success story. All these TVs are imported. We are increasingly spending on luxurious items year on year. And high-end TV sets are no exception here. I think spending on luxurious items is not Nepal’s priority at present. But this is again free market – there is supply where there is demand.

- Keshab Rai, Ekantakuna

 

Read the sectoral story on women street vendors (Street: A fertile Ground for Women Entrepreneurs, New Business Age, March 2015). I agree with the writer’s argument the street has been a fertile ground for vendors (I would not like to call them entrepreneurs because most of them do not generate employment which is a precondition for becoming an entrepreneur). But the street business has made life difficult for the pedestrians. As the sidewalks of almost all major streets are captured by street vendors, there is no space for the pedestrians to walk. But there seems to be no solution to the problem. By saying this, I am not arguing that they should be chased way from the streets. But perhaps the government can find them a place where they can continue their business and people can walk on the street pavements easily and freely.

-  Anita Thapa, New Baneshwor

 

Nepal is an agricultural country. More than two-thirds of its population relies on agricultural production for income and the country’s economic growth, too, depends on agriculture. The agriculture sector can get some support from agricultural insurance which is not very popular in Nepal. But the farmers are unaware about the importance of insurance due to the information gap (Need for Sustainable Service Model to Promote Agriculture Insurance, March 2015 issue, New Business Age). It’s true that not only policies but promotional plans to educate the farmer about the importance and merits of agricultural insurance is the need of the time. Insurance companies and the government should join hands to make the farmers aware about benefits of agricultural insurance. The information should be conveyed in such a way that farmers are encouraged and motivated for the insurance.

-  Ram Pudasaini, Thamel, Kathmandu 

 

One to Watch: Helping Companies Grow published in the March 2015 issue of New Business Age was a good write up. The company is really doing a great job by supporting budding entrepreneurs. I hope they will continue the effort in the future as well. Many New generation Nepali entrepreneurs have unique and innovative business ideas but they cannot implement it properly because of the lack of investment. In such a scenario, One to Watch is trying to bring in investors from the Netherlands and helping the high-potential Nepali entrepreneurs meet what is perhaps the greatest challenge – investment. Great Job guys!

-  Shikhar Poudel, Chabahil, Kathmandu

 

I agree with Prof Dr Kamal Raj Dhungel – Nepal is increasingly becoming an aid-dependent country (Contribution of Foreign Aid in Nepal’s Economy, New Business Age, March 2015). The private sector is unwilling to invest in infrastructure because of the time taken to get returns from such projects. Some investment has come in hydropower but large-scale domestic investment in hydropower hasn’t come. Private investment in roads is not there. Most of the country’s highways were built with foreign assistance. The country still looks at donors for investment in large-scale infrastructure projects. The private sector has to come forward and invest in infrastructure projects even if the returns are not very quick from such projects.

-  Bishal Neupane, Dharan

 

In the cover story (The High-end View, New Business Age March 2015) I was missing one thing which I believe is important for the future of TV: I was told that the analog TV services will be discontinued in Nepal in 2016 which means that by then the people will have to move to digital TV. In most European countries this change has happened already several years ago. 

-  Volker Kleinn, [email protected]

 

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The mail will be edited for the purpose of clarity and brevity.

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