Biratnagar

Biratnagar functions as Nepal's industrial capital—the second-largest city after Kathmandu, with 244,750 people driving the country's manufacturing base. The Biratnagar Jute Mill, established in the 1930s, was Nepal's first large-scale industry, and the tradition continues: textiles, jute, steel, cement, and agro-processing factories spread from Rani Mills to the Duhabi River, forming the nation's largest industrial corridor. Morang Chamber of Commerce and Industry, founded in 1951 as Morang Merchants' Association, is Nepal's oldest business chamber, reflecting the city's commercial primacy. Location explains this concentration: Biratnagar sits on the Indian border in the fertile Terai lowlands, connected by road and rail to Bihar, with an integrated check post (ICP) facilitating cross-border trade. The recently upgraded international airport expands connectivity beyond ground transport. The economy combines manufacturing with agricultural trading—Morang District produces rice, wheat, sugarcane, and jute. As Koshi Province capital, Biratnagar anchors eastern Nepal's administration and commerce. Yet the city faces challenges common to Nepali industry: unreliable power, infrastructure gaps, and competition from Indian imports. By 2026, Biratnagar's trajectory depends on whether industrial expansion continues despite power constraints, whether cross-border trade agreements improve, and whether the city can retain workers against the emigration pull of Gulf remittance economies.