Aviation tycoon Birendra Bahadur Basnet on why farming is safer than flying
Summary
Buddha Air Executive Chairman Birendra Bahadur Basnet is betting on commercial farming and rice milling as a safer, scalable business than aviation. He says his anchor enterprise around Arju Rice Mill can link smallholders to credit, machinery and guaranteed buyers while improving Nepal’s agriculture.
Key Points
- Birendra Bahadur Basnet says he has shifted from aviation to commercial farming because agriculture can be safer and more scalable than flying.
- He is building an anchor enterprise around Arju Rice Mill to connect 10,000 bigha of paddy with credit, machinery and a guaranteed market.
- The project has expanded to about 5,000 bigha around Belbari, but the mill is still running at a loss due to interest costs, price drops and storage mistakes.
- Basnet argues that mechanisation, land services and bank-backed procurement can help Nepali farmers earn more without forced land pooling.
