Hemanta KC, Nepal News Bank
Surkhet. As Dashain approaches, the depot of Food Management and Trade Company Limited at Pulu in Mugukarmarong Rural Municipality of Mugu district has become without rice. Locals in remote areas are deprived of getting subsidized government rice after the stock of rice in the depot is depleted.
Keshav
Giri, chief of the Mugu branch of the Food Management and Trade Company Limited, said that there are no employees at the depot along with rice. According to him, due to the obstruction of the road, it has not been possible to transport rice through trucks in Pulu. He said that due to the lack of easy road, food grains have to be transported by mule.
“There is no rice at the Pulu depot at present. Due to the obstruction of the road, we have to transport rice by mule,” Giri said, adding that preparations are being made to transport rice directly from the company’s provincial office in Surkhet. “
Due to the geographical remoteness of Mugu, we have to depend on roads and land routes to deliver food grains to the remote settlements of the district. Food supply has been affected due to the recent disruption of various roads in the district including the Nagma-Gamgadhi road due to rain and landslides.
It was reported that the road was blocked at Talcha under the Nagma-Gamgadhi road section of Mugu till the second week of September. The road blockade had affected the transportation of food and daily essentials.
It has become more difficult to transport food to the depot due to the lack of transportation on the Gamgadhi-Pulu road connecting Mugumakarmarong Rural Municipality. Although rice can be transported by truck to the road, due to the obstruction of the road, there is a compulsion to use mules and other means in the remote settlements.
Extreme cold, limited arable land and yield of only one crop a year have forced food supplies in the northern region, including Mugumakarmarong.
Giri said that 2800 quintals of rice in Gamgadhi
At present, about 2800 quintals of rice is in stock at the branch of the Food Management and Trading Company in Gamgadhi, the headquarters of Mugu. According to him, 25 kg of rice is being sold to the consumers at the rate of 25 kg per person at a time.
He said that although the demand for food will increase with the approaching festivals like Dashain and Tihar, there is a stock of rice in the district headquarters for the time being. Sugar is also being sold at the Mugu branch of the Food Management and Trading Company. According to Giri, 50 quintals of sugar has been supplied to the district and it is being sold at the rate of 5 kg per person.
Three depots in Mugu, supply challenges
There are three remote depots of Food Management and Trade Company in Mugu. There are depots at Sorukot of Sorukot Rural Municipality, Pulu of Mugumakarmarong Rural Municipality and Srikot of Khaptad Chhededaha Rural Municipality. There is a branch office and main sales center in the district headquarters, Gamgadhi.
However, due to the geographical condition of the district, even though there is a stock of rice in the district headquarters, it is difficult to deliver it to the remote depots on time. Due to the obstruction of the road, it takes more time and expense to transport the food grains that have arrived in the district headquarters to the village.
The Food Management and Trading Company (FMTC) had said that it had planned to supply food grains to the remote settlements of Karnali before the festival and expand sales outlets at the village level this year.
The condition of the road network in Mugu has added to the challenge in the implementation of such a plan. Although the company’s Mugu branch is preparing to supply food grains directly from Surkhet, it will be difficult to maintain regular supply at the depot until the road connecting the remote settlements from the Mugu headquarters is smooth. Ratan Rawal, a local, said that he gets more rice in the market area and less in other areas.
After the Pulu depot is empty on the eve of Dashain, the local consumers will get subsidized government rice only if rice can be delivered immediately. Otherwise, the problem of road and transportation will reach the consumer’s kitchen directly.
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