The paper mainly covers the availability and market of Non Timber Forest Products (NTFP) in Central Terai of Nepal. A study on Forest Product Market Survey was completed by Biodiversity Sector Program for Siwalik and Terai (BISEP-ST) in cetral Terai of Nepal. The study mainly focused on Non timber forest products. The findings of the study is the base of this paper.

Majority of people of Terai are excluded from forest resources either because of spatial distance to forest or social distance. BISEP-ST has been implemented in the eight Terai districts. Innovative institutional arrangement like Collaborative Forest Management scheme is being piloted to include such majority people in benefiting from management of such state forests. Still, residing far from the forest, the people in south do not have easy and effective access to forest limiting them in day-to-day active management and livelihood benefits. Domestication, cultivation and commercialization of selected NTFPs in the BISEP-ST area have been associated with efforts to politically empower and economically advance some of the most disadvantaged sections of society. The present study has tried to look into the overall scenario of the BISEP-ST’s interventions and the situation of NTFP trade in the program area. Rapid market appraisal, walk in interview, marketing efficiency and marketing channels analysis tools were used in the study. Cultivation of NTFPs has been carried out in community forest, leasehold forest, public land and also in private land. The study showed that the area under cultivation of NTFPs has been increasing in the program area. The volume of trade has been doubled in last two years. The collection of revenue is also increasing. The value addition works are very few and in limited NTFPs. Due to lack of marketing network and collective bargaining power poor are not getting the real return of their labour. Interventions such as establishing processing plant for value addition, developing NTFPs marketing network, access to information and technical inputs for grading of products are recommended to improve the existing situation.

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