NFC asks govt for Rs 320m to ease food deficit in west

KATHMANDU, Aug 13 - Nepal Food Corporation (NFC) has asked the government for an additional Rs 320 million to implement a special program to enhance the food supply situation in one and a half dozen remote districts.The state-owned food supplier came up with the proposal in a bid to improve ... ...in 18 districts of the west and far western part of the country, which was recently hard hit by the acute food shortage."NFC has demanded Rs 320 million for a special program to distribute 90,500 quintals of rice in the districts identified as most affected by food scarcity," Gyan Darshan Udash, spokesperson of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies (MoICS), told the Post.Udash said the MoICS decided on Monday to demand the funds from the Ministry of Finance to implement the program. He added that the MoICS regularly supplies 105,000 quintals of rice under its usual program."Suitable modes of transportation - trucks, airplanes and choppers - will be used to bring food to the needy districts under the special program depending on their location," he said.Officials at NFC attributed the food scarcity in some remote districts to the syndicate system which truckers in Nepal's west and far west started one and a half months ago."The delivery of around 10,000 quintals of rice to food deficit districts has been hampered by the transport syndicate," NFC acting deputy general manager Sundar Raj Sharma said."We can improve the supply situation within two weeks if the transport syndicate is ended immediately," he added.Though the quantity of rice supplied to the districts has almost doubled to 140,000 quintals during the fiscal year 2007/08 compared to the previous year, the shortage deteriorated due to the banda against the syndicate, rising population and disruptions to shipment by air resulting from the rainy season."However, we managed to supply 780 quintals of rice to Achham, one of the most affected districts, by land route by escorting the food convoy; and 150 quintals to Bajura by chopper during the last one and a half months," he added.

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