Ministry of Finance, Government of Nepal (GoN) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) signed an agreement to implement the High Value Agriculture Project (HVAP) in the hill and mountain areas of the Mid-Western Development Region of Nepal.

The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives in partnership with SNV and its partner Agro-Enterprise Centre of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (AEC/FNCCI).

The project will contribute towards improving the livelihoods of the targeted group and improving market linkages and better access to finance in order to help reduce poverty and vulnerability in the hill and mountain areas of the Mid-Western Development Region. The project also seeks to ensure that the rural poor, especially women and marginalised groups, are integrated in the high value agriculture and non-timber forest products/ medicinal and aromatic plants (NTFPs/MAPs) value chains and markets and have improved income, employment opportunities and ability to access the market according to demand. 

The project primarily focuses on Inclusive Business (IB) approach whereby it seeks to mitigate poverty by incorporating lower income communities within the value chain of larger and more established companies.

The project will be implemented in 10 Mid-Western districts namely Surkhet, Salyan, Jajarkot, Dailekh, Jumla, Kalikot, Dolpa, Humla, Mugu, and Achham. Sixty six thousand households from 114 Village Development Committees (VDCs) will be benefited from the project.

The project has a duration of six years and a total budget of USD 18.87 million, of which IFAD contributes USD 15.2 million (USD 7.6 million in loan and USD 7.6 million in grant).  Total budget of SNV’s support to the programme is USD 700,000.