Biratnagar, May 7 -- famous market for betel nuts, known as the "Supari Line", in the border town of Kakarbhitta was renamed "Suryodaya Marg" years ago.

This change does not signal that the betel nut trade has diminished-it only has flourished. In the past, the small intersection in Kakarbhitta was crowded with Indian traders and buyers for locally produced betel nuts. That's how the area earned the name "Supari Line" in the first place.

As business grew, the demand for betel nuts has increased, local traders say. And Supari Line wasn't just a business street-it represents history, right from the late 1980s.

The economic liberalisation brought about by Nepal's political changes in 1990 opened the economy to Southeast Asian markets.

Be...