STC needs to fortify its presence in market: Minister Rijal

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Sept 14 : Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Ramesh Rijal has said that the Salt Trading Corporation (STC) should strengthen its presence in the market to control the artificial price hikes of essential commodities in the days ahead.

“We appreciate the contribution of STC to supply essential goods even in the abnormal situation and to control price of goods in the market. We expect from the STC, a public-private partnership organisation, to make its presence in the market strong to control price hikes and supply quality goods to people,” he said, while addressing the 61st anniversary of the corporation Wednesday.

Stating that the government wants the common people to get daily essential goods at a reasonable price and has adopted a policy accordingly, he instructed STC to diversify the business to deliver essential items even to the remote areas of the country effectively.

Minister Rijal suggested the Corporation to contribute to the agriculture sector directly along with expanding its scope of business in the field of supplying essential goods.

Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development Dr. Govinda Prasad Sharma said that STC has been playing a significant role in the import of chemical fertilisers and its distribution as per the direction of the government.

The STC is importing and distributing non-subsidised chemical fertilisers along with government’s subsidised fertilisers. The Corporation has been importing 30 per cent of the total subsidised fertiliser.

Pradeep Lal Shrestha, chairman of the Board of Directors of STC, expressed his commitment to make every effort to facilitate the supply of essential goods in the market in full compliance with the instructions of the government. On the occasion, Chief Executive Officer of STC Urmila Shrestha said that the Corporation would take more initiatives to provide services to the doorsteps of common consumers by expanding the service and work area in the days to come.

“Along with the supply of daily essential goods, we are careful to supply chemical fertilisers to farmers on time as per the government's instructions. To fulfill the needs of farmers on chemical fertilisers and contribute to the development of the agriculture sector, we are importing and supplying non-subsidised fertilsiers,” she said.

Expanding the scope of business and providing quality oil, the STC has started the production and sale of STC brand mustard oil produced from the Nepal Vegetable Ghee Industry located in Hetauda.

On the occasion, Laxmi Das Manandhar Child Welfare award was provided to Tara Namaste Balgram, Birtamod, in recognition of its active role in the protection of children.

Similarly, certificates of appreciation were given to the employees who delivered excellent service and scholarships were also given to the sons/daughters of the employees who passed with excellent marks in the SEE exam.