KATHMANDU, Nov 4: Delay in resumption of traffic on Surkhet-Jumla road coupled with irregular flights to mid-western hills, have badly affected food supplies to Jumla, Kalikot and Mugu district in the mid-western development region.
“Supply of food to Jumla, Kalikot and Mugu that are highly dependent on supplies from outside has been seriously affected as vehicular movement has not resumed on the Surkhet-Jumla road even though the rainy season is already over,” Bijay Dhwaj Thapa, general manager of Nepal Food Corporation -- the state own food distributor, said.
Thapa said the NFC has managed to supply only 500 quintals rice to Mugu from Jumla, where about 1,600 quintals of rice has been stocked as any emergency measure.
NFC decides to buy 70,000 quintals of paddy
A meeting of board of directors of NFC held Wednesday decided to procure 70,000 quintals of paddy from Bardiya, Dhanusha and Kanchanpur from this week to shore up the stock.
“We have decided to almost double the paddy procurement as NFC´s rice mill in Rajapur of Bardiya resumed operation from this year after more than a decade,” Thapa said.
Last year, NFC had procured 33,000 quintals of paddy from Bardiya and 10,000 quintals from Dhanusha and Mahendranagar.
The price of paddy will be fixed by Food Supply Management Committee headed by chief district officers of concerned districts.
Thapa also said the NFC is also increasing the quantity of rice to be procured from private sector to cope with the rising demand of food in about two dozen remote hilly districts, mainly in mid and far-western regions.
Last year, NFC had purchased 190,000 quintals rice from different districts.
NFC has 18,000 to 20,000 quintals rice in stock in 22 districts where it has been supplying food. Thapa said the existing stock will be sufficient to meet demands till mid-November.
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