Nepal faces one another problem, shortage of daily essentials supplies due to the strike! excerpts from the Kathmandu Post

Prices of food items rise
POST REPORT
KATHMANDU, April 16 - With the intensification of the pro-democracy movement initiated by the seven-party alliance, prices of essential food items and vegetables have started climbing up in Kathmandu Valley.
Talking to the Post, Pabitra Bajracharya of Nepal Retailers Association said that the price of rice has increased by up to Rs 15 per 30 kg sack, while prices of refined flour, which used to hover at Rs 22 per kg some days back, has gone up to Rs 30. "Similarly, prices of cooking oil and sugar have increased by Rs 10 per liter and Rs 12 per kilogram," he said.
According to Bajracharya, the price hike was mainly due to the obstruction in free movement of vehicles. "For the last 11 days, operation of transport vehicles has come to a virtual standstill. Very few vehicles are plying on the streets and even those that are delivering services have started demanding double the fare, which has increased the cost of business operations," he said.
He informed that vehicles, which used to charge up to Rs 250 for delivering goods, now demand Rs 500 to travel the same distance.
"With the stock of food items with retailers fast depleting and obstruction in movement of vehicles, the possibility of shortage of food materials cannot be ruled out," he said.
In the meantime, prices of green vegetables and fruits have also soared by up to 70 percent in the valley. Kalimati Fruits and Vegetable Market Development Board (KFVMDB) has stated that, prices of tomato, which hovered at around Rs 13 per kg until April 5, have gone up to Rs 22, while carrots, which used to cost around Rs 15 per kg have soared to Rs 20.
Likewise, prices of other vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, sword bean, smooth gourd, squash and spinach leaf have increased to Rs 15, Rs 20, Rs 24, Rs 40, Rs 20 and Rs 28, respectively, from Rs 10, Rs 18, Rs 22, Rs 30, Rs 10 and Rs 24.
According to sources of KFVMDB, the prices of vegetables had increased due to disruption in movement of vehicles in the highways linking Kathmandu. "As most of the vegetables available in the local market are imported from surrounding cities such as Dhading, Kavre, Makwanpur, Bara, Parsa, Rautahat, Sarlahi and Chitwan, among others, obstruction in free flow of vehicles creates short supply, which in turn causes the price to go up," the source said.
Following disruption in movement of vehicles, prices of fruits have also gone up in the local market. KFVMDB has stated that price of bananas has increased by 100 percent to Rs 50 per dozen in the local market, while prices of apples, oranges and pomegranate have increased by Rs 10, Rs 10 and Rs 20 per kg respectively to Rs 65, Rs 50 and Rs 80.
Posted on: 2006-04-16 21:37:00 (Server Time)