Nowadays, the limelight has started to shine on him. His influence and popularity are not limited to just family and acquaintances; they have expanded into the business sector as well. At such a young age, his level of success is remarkable!

His name is Rihan Miya, Chairman and CEO of the Conglomerate Company Midlaj Group, and he is just 22 years old.

Recently, after exporting plywood products from his conglomerate company, Midlaj Group, to India, the spotlight has begun to shine on him. Businessmen and industrialists from Nepalgunj have congratulated him for successfully exporting plywood to India. They believe that Rihan will achieve something great at such a young age, starting an industry and exporting locally produced goods to India.

“For the first time, I exported plywood from my industry to India, and when Indian customers liked it, I received another order. We are currently working to fulfill that order,” he says. According to him, there is high demand from both India and Nepal that needs to be met.

He has successfully exported the goods from the first order and is currently working vigorously on fulfilling the second order. “No matter how much you produce, we will buy,” Indian traders have said, but currently, we do not have the capacity to produce according to their demand. However, we are working to meet their demand in the future,” he says.

“People who have exported goods to India have approached me and said, ‘If you export to India like us, please provide us with quality plywood as well.” His industry is located in Janaki Rural Municipality 3, where he directly and indirectly provides employment to around 40–50 people. Previously, he used to distribute imported goods in Nepal, but now he has shifted to exporting. We can say that he has transitioned from being an importer to being an exporter.

Opening a plywood industry is an interesting coincidence. “I used to primarily sell imported goods, but now I find myself in a situation where I am exporting,” he says. According to him, he used to sell goods from the Indian company Amul before.

In Nepal, there are only three companies involved in the distribution of Amul products, and his company is one of them. While Vishal Group sells Amul products, another company called Gourmet Vienna has also started doing so. “The third one is my Midlaj Group.”

He had been involved in the distribution of imported Amul products for about two years until the government imposed a ban on luxury goods imports. After that, he had to start a new business to sustain himself. “A bank started auctioning land, and the process of acquiring that land began. It took almost two years to finalize,” he said. “I started this business by selling some of my assets and taking a loan from the bank.” Within two years, he reached the point of exporting.

His ancestral home is in Pokhara, Kaski. He was born in Nepalgunj when his father, Rahaman Miya, came there for business purposes. “My house and property are still in Pokhara, and we visit there from time to time,” he said.

There was a lot of poverty. In around 2034 BS, my father Rahaman Miya went to Humla for work, where he used to spend three days walking and carrying other people’s goods. Later, he opened a small grocery store in Humla, and there was good business for some time. He saved some money from the profits of the small grocery store in Humla and in 2055 BS, he came to Nepalgunj. My father obtained a contract to supply food items to the police and army. During that time, he also started his side business of land plotting and selling. Simultaneously, he served as the chairman of the Jama Masjid in Nepalgunj for two terms. During that period, we witnessed significant changes, and after closing the contract business of supplying food, he shifted his focus to his side business of land plotting and selling, making it his main venture. Currently, he is recognized as a prominent social worker and businessman in Nepalgunj,” he shared his family story.

As his father was also involved in business, Rihan gradually developed an interest in entrepreneurship. He started his business journey in the ninth grade by producing fiber screen protectors for mobile phones. He personally launched marketing campaigns, carrying samples in bags and running to markets himself. After some time, he handed over the work to his brother. Subsequently, he separated from his brother and began selling imported goods from Amul. When the government banned the import of luxury items, he ventured into the plywood business. Through gradual success, he reached a stage where he could export his products.