ILAM, Aug 31: The demand for cheese, which was in downturn since last year's earthquake, has once again surged in Ilam. Cheese entrepreneurs who were upset by declining demand in the market are now facing hardship in catering to the demands.
Most of the cheese in the district is produced in Rakshay, Nayabazzar, Pashupatinagar, Ranke, and Topetar factories. The produce is sold in Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan and other districts.
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“The demand for cheese has improved since 3-4 months. At present, we are not even able to meet the demands,” said Ganesh Puri, manager of Rakshay Cheese Production Center. “A large quantity of cheese was dumped last year due to sharp decline in demand. However, this year has turned out to be boon for us,” he added.
The Nayabazzar based cheese factory collects 1,300 liters of milk per day for manufacturing cheese. According to Kumar Aale, in-charge of the factory, they are producing and selling 130 kg cheese per day.
“High demand for cheese in the market is very encouraging. Despite putting all our efforts, we have not been able to meet the demand,” said Aale.
According to the data of District Animal Service Office, 23 cheese and dairies industries in the district produce 5.01 million kg of cheese annually generating around Rs 175 million in earnings.
