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Europe is emerging as a promising destination for Nepali migrant workers, with countries like Romania, Croatia, Malta, Cyprus and Portugal becoming popular choices for employment. This shift marks a notable change in Nepal’s labor migration trend, which for decades was dominated by destinations in the Gulf and Malaysia.

According to data from the Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE), the number of Nepalis leaving for employment in European nations surged by 46 percent during the first eight months of the current fiscal year 2024/25. A total of 34,366 individuals obtained labor permits to work in Europe during this period, compared to 23,510 in the same period of the previous fiscal year.

This figure includes only those who obtained formal labor approvals. Recruitment agencies say that the actual number could be significantly higher, as many Nepalis travel to Europe on visit visas and then secure jobs informally. These cases are harder to track but are increasingly common.

One of the main reasons behind this shift is the appeal of better salaries, safer and more worker-friendly labor laws, and milder climates compared to traditional labor destinations in the Middle East. European jobs are often seen as more dignified in Nepal, with structured working conditions and legal protections that are often lacking in Gulf countries.

Romania has emerged as the most popular European destination for Nepali workers. The number of Nepalis receiving labor approvals for Romania jumped by an impressive 136.34 percent, reaching 17,830 in just eight months. As a developing country with a high-income economy, Romania has growing demand for labor in sectors like agriculture, where many Nepalis are employed.

Significant growth was also observed in the number of workers heading to Portugal, Croatia, and Cyprus. However, the number of Nepali workers leaving for Malta fell by nearly a half during the same period.

According to recruitment companies, the flow of Nepali workers to Europe has grown steadily over the past three years, with around 11 percent of all Nepali migrant workers now heading to European countries.

In recent years, countries like the UK and Germany have shown increasing interest in hiring Nepali workers. The UK has already begun recruiting nurses from Nepal, and Germany has signed a labor memorandum of understanding to bring in both skilled and unskilled labor. However, language requirements—particularly the need to learn German—have slowed the pace of labor migration to Germany for now.

The price of gold has continued to drop in the domestic market.

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers’ Association, the yellow metal has dropped by Rs 400 and is being traded at Rs 173, 400 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 173, 800 per tola on Monday.

The price of gold, which dropped by Rs 1, 900 per tola on Sunday, fell by Rs 700 per tola on Monday.

On Friday, the last trading of the week, the price of gold dropped by Rs 3, 900 per tola.

On April 13, gold hit a record high of Rs 180, 300 per tola.  

Similarly, the silver is being traded at Rs 1, 830 per tola today.

The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) plunged by 32. 45 points to close at 2, 670.94 points on Monday.

Similarly, the sensitive index dropped by 3. 85 points to close at 446. 23 points.

A total of 10,014,866-unit shares of 322 companies were traded for Rs 5. 65 billion.

Meanwhile, Butwal Power Company Limited (BPCL) was the top gainer today with their price surging by 6. 75 percent. Likewise, Himalayan Power Partner Ltd. (HPPL) the top loser with its price dropped by 5. 35 percent.

At the end of the day, the total market capitalization stood at Rs 4. 43 trillion.

Farmers in the northern region of Sarlahi, known as a major tomato-producing area, have stopped harvesting their tomatoes due to a dramatic fall in market prices. With rates dropping as low as Rs 2 to 4 per kilogram, many farmers say it is no longer worth picking the produce.

Tomatoes are now rotting in the fields, according to local farmers who are frustrated by the lack of market value. “At this price, we can’t even recover our investment,” said Parikshan Mahato, a farmer from Dharatol, Harion Municipality-3. He said the initial market response was encouraging, but prices dropped steeply after tomatoes imported from outside the region flooded the market. “We’ve spent a lot on plowing, planting, and labor. But now, the cost of transporting tomatoes to the market is more than what we get from selling them,” Mahato said. “Even hiring laborers to pick the tomatoes costs money.”

The situation has become so dire that villagers have started picking tomatoes from the fields for their own consumption, said another farmer, Kamal Mahato. “It’s better to let them rot in the field than spend more money trying to sell them,” he said. “This year, it’s been impossible to even recover the production cost.” According to Kamal, tomato crates that used to sell for Rs 2,500 to 3,000 at the start of the season now struggle to fetch even Rs 50. “Our markets are Lalbandi, Nawalpur, and Hariban. But even here, imported tomatoes have taken over,” he added.

Sarlahi-grown tomatoes are usually sold in major cities including Kathmandu and Pokhara. However, with low demand and rising supply from other regions, local farmers say they are left with no option but to abandon their harvests.

Similarly, in Dhading, a district just outside the federal capital Kathmandu, cabbage farmers are now doing the unthinkable—destroying their harvest. In a heart-wrenching scene along the Prithvi Highway near Trishuli riverside in Gajuri, heaps of cabbages lie discarded, chopped and abandoned. These are the same cabbages that could have turned into delicious meals in households across the country. Instead, they’ve become a symbol of despair for the farmers who nurtured them with care and hard labor.

“We raised these cabbages like our own children, investing so much time and money,” said one distressed farmer. “But when it came time to sell, there was no price. We were forced to destroy them in the field.” Even when farmers pleaded with traders to buy the cabbage at just Rs 2–4 per kilogram, they were turned down. With no option left, many resorted to cutting the cabbages and using them as organic fertilizer. “Had the government stepped in to guarantee a fair price, we wouldn't be in this mess,” the farmers said, adding that the pressure of crop loss has brought stress and tension into their families, especially for those who had taken loans to grow the produce.

Now, as they clear out the fields of unsold cabbage, many farmers are preparing to plant chaite rice instead. “Last year, we earned up to Rs 200,000 from cabbage sales. This year, we barely made Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000,” one farmer said. Some had invested up to Rs 70,000 in cabbage farming—all of which has now gone to waste.

Ironically, while around 33 percent of the vegetables sold in Kathmandu come from Dhading, Nepal imported over Rs 35bn worth of green vegetables from India last year. Farmers here question how local produce grown with such hard work is left to rot while foreign vegetables dominate the market.