Prices of egg, meat shoot up by up to 70% in Humla

By Our Correspondent

Humla, Apr. 29: The prices of meat and eggs have skyrocketed in Humla, a mountainous district not connected to road transport.

That is because meat and eggs stopped being transported by aircraft and now have to be transported by helicopter.

Gorkha Bohara, a consumer, said that the price of an egg has gone up from Rs. 18 to Rs. 30.

He said that it was difficult to get eggs in the market and even if they are available, they are out of reach. 

Similarly, he said that the price of chicken meat, which was Rs. 500 per kg a few weeks ago, has reached Rs. 900 and that that of mutton has gone up from Rs. 900 to Rs. 1,250 per kg. 

Prices of eggs, chicken and mutton have gone up by 70 per cent.

Ram Bahadur Bhandari, senior vice-president of Chamber of Industry Association, said that the prices of meat and eggs have become prohibitively expensive.

He said that the rise in the prices was due to short supply caused by non-availability of regular flights by private airlines.

Bhandari attributed the rise in prices to the short supply of meat and eggs from Nepalgunj and Surkhet and said that the cost of transporting meat from Nepalgunj was Rs. 250 per kg.

Similarly, transportation of meat from Salisalla by vehicle and from Salisalla to Simkot by helicopter costs Rs. 140 per kg.

Chief District Officer Sita Pariyar said that the prices of meat and eggs have gone up in the market.

She said that they would study the market prices of eggs and meat in Nepalgunj, Salisalla and Simkot.

Stating that there was an unnatural increase in the price of meat and eggs, she said that this was due to short supply in the absence of regular flights.