186 units of computers‚ laptops sold in Valley everyday

Publish date : 22 April, 2015

KATHMANDU, APR 22: Kathmandu Valley, which is the major information technology (IT) market of the country, has been witnessing sales of 186 units of computers on an average every day.

This is what a survey on hardware and software industry conducted by the Computer Association of Nepal (CAN) Federation has revealed.

The report, a first of its kind conducted to find baseline status of IT industry, has stated the Valley’s dealers are selling 68,000 computers, including laptops each year.

It has also revealed that more hardware and peripherals are being imported each year from international markets like China, Singapore and Hong Kong, as there is no estimation of demand and supply.

“We found that 80,000 computers are being imported every year,” said Binod Dhakal, president of the CAN Federation, addressing the launch ceremony of the sample survey on hardware and software market, and offshore web portal, today. “The government should conduct monitoring and evaluation regarding demand and supply, as adverse effects of goods imported through grey channel cannot be denied.”

Of the total 82 respondents from core computer market areas of the Valley, including New Road, Putali Sadak and New Baneshwor, 66 per cent of dealers said they import from international market, while 34 per cent reported of buying from distributors in local market.

As per the report, 23 per cent traders import from China, 22 per cent from Singapore, seven per cent from Hong Kong and the remaining from other countries.

According to Dhakal, because of high demand, there is a possibility to manufacture peripherals like mouse and keyboard within the country.

The survey was jointly unveiled by Japanese Ambassador to Nepal Masashi Ogawa and Birendra Kumar Mishra, director general of the Department of Information Technology (DoIT).

CAN Federation had conducted the survey with the support of Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA) and Institute for Environmental and Social Transition-Nepal. Mishra said that with the importance of IT on the rise, DoIT would also conduct a study to determine possibility of business process outsourcing and know the capabilities of local IT human resources. In terms of software, engineers working in software development companies in the Valley are earning monthly salary ranging from Rs 8,000 to over Rs 51,000, depending on their skills, states the report.

Forty-three per cent (the highest chunk) of those employed in software engineering earn Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 a month, while only six per cent (the lowest) earn over Rs 51,000 per month. As per the report, Nepali companies are facing problems of payment gateway and time zone, among others, to export their products to foreign markets.