Pet Products for Poverty Reduction
AnimalNepal (www.animalnepal.org/), an Animal Welfare Group, working with two or more local non-profit handicraft producers, plans to manufacture pet products for local retail as well as export. Like in all other Asian countries pet products are a fast growing market yet not a single locally made pet product is available in Nepal.
AnimalNepal.org, a registered not-for-profit company in Nepal, apart from developing affordable locally produced pet products, organizes national level programs such as Animal Birth Control/Anti Rabies, stray dog rehabilitation, Dog Obedience Training, Cruelty-Free lifestyle, Music for Animal Welfare, and general awareness raising in regards to animal rights issues.
The Business
Our business can be profitable based on low materials/labor costs and relatively higher prices of speciality and novelty pet products. For example, beaded pet collars can be made as cheaply as a women's bracelet but sold for much more in Beverly Hills Pet shop. For local consumption, the overhead of importation and duty does not exist, allowing our products to be competitive at home as well.
Today, ALL pet products available in Nepal are imported into Nepal from China, India, Malaysia, and Thailand. These products are priced too high for the average pet owner. Our potential customers are here in the Kingdom's capital and other metro areas, as well as in the EU, Americas, etc.. Using established Export channels, our products can be introduced in other countries at a low cost. A complete market analysis is online at www.animalnepal.org/bizplan.htm (see biz plan PDF file).
Pet products offer an entirely new product range for this region and offer much potential in using existing manual labour skills and local technology. We are so surprised no one has thought of this yet!
Locally manufactured products can further enhance quality pet ownership for both the pet owner, and the pet!
Who currently import pet products (all major department stores and grocery stores) as well as open a small retail outlet here in the capital of Nepal. We also have a well-known website for overseas and online orders. We expect over 75% local participation from local retailers and an unknown number of specialty pet retailers around the globe. We also plan to offer our products on Ebay and Baazee.com.
Development
To be independent every women must be financially secure. In Nepal, the lack of awareness and gender inequality forces girls to get married at an early age without them ever being independent. Their participation in economic activities remains very low and the present political crisis has an increasingly tragic impact on the lives of women. Single women (widows and unmarried women) especially face hardships due to cultural and religious taboos, as well as sexual harassment and an almost complete lack of government support.
A joint venture with self help groups will provide single women with a chance to create their own income as well as give them the much needed respect from their communities and families.
