Earning through social media: from an Arghakhanchi youth to Dharan's sukuti trade

A young man from Arghakhanchi and a sukuti (dried meat) trader in Dharan have turned social media into a livelihood.

Netra Prasad Bhusal of Ghochekhola, Sandhikharka Municipality-2, has made YouTube, Facebook and TikTok his workplace. On TikTok, many know him as "TikTok star Netra Bhusal."

He says he has hundreds of thousands of subscribers on YouTube, more than 250,000 followers on Facebook, and about 2 million followers on TikTok. This audience network has brought him good income and a distinct identity at home and abroad.

In Dharan, the trade in buffalo-meat sukuti and pickles made from it is growing. Women who make sukuti and pickle at home have started receiving orders from within Nepal and abroad by promoting their products on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.

Sukuti shops line Niketan Galli, east of Bhanuchok. Nita Tamang of Dharan Sub-Metropolitan City-15 has been selling sukuti and pickle in this same lane for six years. She says demand for her products extends to countries including Britain.