Nepalese start-ups make waves at home, abroad

Mobile phone applications designed by Nepalese start-ups are winning awards and are gaining international recognition in addition to gaining traction in domestic and foreign markets.

ICT for Agriculture, which won the NRs. 500,000 ($5,060) grand prize at the Ncell App Camp Competition in Kathmandu in December last year, is an SMS-based app that allows farmers to access information about market prices, weather conditions, planting techniques and animal diseases.

It previously won NRs. 100,000 ($1,000) for finishing first at the Reconnect Challenge in Kathmandu, a contest open to IT start-ups from Central and South Asia last November.

"Nepali farmers in rural areas lack proper market information. Due to this, they end up selling their products to middlemen at very low prices," Sibjan Chaulagain, one of the app's designers, told Khabar South Asia. "Through our app, they can know about the current prices for their products in major marketplaces and make their selling decisions accordingly.

"There are about 4 million farmer families in Nepal," he added. "We want to be the ultimate platform for agriculture-related information and discussions."

To read more: Nepalese start-ups make waves at home, abroad

Taken from Khabar South Asia