Govt vows adequate supply of food grains during Dashain in remote areas

KATHMANDU: The Food Management and Trading Company Limited (FMTCL) has said it is effortful to ensure adequate supply of food grains in the remote areas including Karnali during the festivals–Dashain and Tihar.

The biggest festivals of Nepalis – Dashain, Tihar and Chhath- are only a week away. They, together, last for about a month.

Executive Director Mohan Prakash Chand said food grains would be supplied as per the quota determined on the basis of population density and need while remaining within the budget limit set by the government.

As he said there might have been incidents of crowding at some FMTCL depots as people are on a buying spree taking advantage of the discount offered on food items on the occasion of the festivals.

“The Company requests all the consumers to extend cooperation by buying only the required food grains and daily essentials and not for hoarding purposes,” Chand said.

FMTCL is selling and supplying quality food grains and commodities as rice, lentils, cooking oil, salt, sugar and beans, among others at discount from 45 outlets in 41 districts across the country.

Stating that arrangements have been made for providing discount to the extent which can be felt compared to the private sector during big festivals like Dashain, Tihar and Chhath, the FMTCL executive director said sales depots have been set up at various places with the objective of smooth supply of food grains and commodities in remote areas.

The state-owned company is effortful towards making available to consumers the essential foodstuffs at concessional rate and in easy manner in several remote districts. It has informed that works have been started for transporting the food grains and essentials to the remote districts through tender process.

Chand said that the supplies would be ferried by helicopter to several other places in remote districts where tenders for the supply of food grains have not been received.

FMTCL has been supplying commodities at the people’s doorstep in few urban areas like the Kathmandu Valley in response to online orders citing high demand of supplies at the fair price shops the company is operating.

The company has also been selling goats in the Kathmandu Valley for maintaining price balance in the sale and supply of goats during the big festivals. It brings the goats from various places of the country for this purpose.

Before this it used to bring sheep and mountain goats from Tibet of China for sale and supply in Kathmandu until 2002. Until some years back the company brought mountain goats also from Manang and Mustang districts but stopped doing so with the onset of COVID-19 pandemic. RSS