By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Oct. 16: Sugar being imported by Salt Trading Corporation (STC) is expected to arrive in Nepal within a week.
The process to dispatch sugar by the Indian supplier has begun and it is expected to arrive within a week, said Urmila Shrestha, Chief Executive Officer of STC.
The STC had issued a global tender to import 20,000 tonnes sugar on August 3 giving 15 days deadline after it received the government’s decision targeting to import sweetener before Dashain festival as its price tends go to up at festival season.
However, the STC had to reissue the tender notice after no bidder selected from the first tender notice was willing to supply the sugar.
The government had allowed public enterprises STC and Food Management and Trading Company to import 30,000 tonnes each of sugar at 50 per cent customs rate.
Renuka Sugar Mills Private Limited of India offered to supply 20,000 tonnes of sugar.
“We expect that the supplier will send sugar from its factory within two days and it will arrive in Nepalgunj port within a week,” she said.
She further said that the import of sugar was delayed by about 15 days as no company was selected from the first tender notice.
She, however, said that there was no problem of sugar in the market even if there was some delay as per STC’s target as the private sector seemed to have enough stock of sugar at their stores.
The price of sugar has dropped slightly to Rs. 85 per kilogram in the retail shops after increased supply by the private traders.
The price of sugar had reached above Rs. 90 per kilogram in the market due to its short supply a month ago.
“We are also selling sugar to individual customers at discounted rate through the fair price shops,” she said.
The sugar being imported by STC will go in the market after Dashain, she said, adding that the demand for sugar will be high in Tihar compared to Dashain festival.
Around 25,000 tonnes of sugar is required for Dashain and Tihar festivals. However, the demand for sugar is likely to drop this year due to closure of many hotels and restaurants amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said that the STC had also issued tender notice for the import of additional 20,000 tonnes of sugar.