FMTC opens fair-price shops for festivals

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Sept. 20: Targeting the upcoming festivals of Dashain and Tihar, fair-price shops have come into operation across the country since Thursday.

As per the government plan to provide relief to consumers by providing essential items at a discounted rate during the festivals, the fair price shops have come into operation in more than six dozen places across the country since Thursday.

Of the public enterprises, the Food Management and Trading Company has run the discounted shops through their offices depots and dealers in the capital and beyond while the Salt Trading Corporation (STC) has planned to run the discounted shops from its outlets in and outside the Kathmandu Valley from September 23.

Consumers can buy essential items at discounted rates from the fair price shops until January 15, 2025.

Minister for Industry Commerce and Supplies Damodar Bhandari officially inaugurated the fair price shop at the FMTC’s outlet in Thapathali on Thursday.

While inaugurating the fair price shops, he urged the consumers to purchase the essential goods from the discounted shops in and outside the Kathmandu Valley.

“The fair price shops aim to provide quality goods at a discounted rate and control the artificial price hikes during the high demand season of daily essential food items,” he said.

He expressed his hope that the people would get relief by purchasing essential goods at a discounted rate while such shops would help control artificial price hikes of goods by the private traders.

Stating that the role of FMTC is vital for price stability in the market and controlling artificial price hikes, he said that the FMTC should make its presence strong for supplying essential goods across the country.

He urged the FMTC management to expand its businesses and make preparations to reach local levels.

Secretary at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies and chairman of the Board of Directors of the FMTC Govinda Bahadur Karkee urged the public enterprises to run the shops smoothly throughout the festivals with the target of the government to provide relief to the general public.

Salt Trading Company has also planned to open discounted shops

He stressed the need for operating discounted shops by the FMTC at other times to provide relief to the people and help control artificial price hikes in the market.

Chief Executive Officer of the FMTC Ramesh Acharya said that the FMCT would operate the fair prices 

shops smoothly. The FMTC will sell its products from 63 places of 42 districts and four places (Thapathali, Ramshahpath, Nakkhu and Suryabinayak) of the Kathmandu Valley.

Similarly, STC will sell goods from its more than 35 outlets across the country. 

Customers get discounts from Rs. 2 to Rs. 10 per kg/litre

In the fair price shops, a discount of Rs. 7 per kg will be provided in various varieties of rice and lentils, Rs. 7 per kilogram in beaten rice, cooking oil, wheat flour and sugar, Rs. 2 per kg in salt and Rs. 7 per kilogram in Karnali’s beans, buckwheat and Jumla’s Marsi rice. Consumers can also purchase DDC ghee at a discount of Rs. 10 per kg from the fair price shops operated by the FMTC.

The FMTC will sell live goats and mountain goats from its Thapathali depot at a discount of Rs. 10 per kg.

“Consumers can also order essential goods online. We will deliver products without delivery charge as per the order on a discounted rate to minimise the crowd of people,” 

CEO Acharya said. The FMTC will operate at least three mobile vans to supply essential goods and STC also will operate three mobile vans targeting the festivals, he said. 

On the occasion, the consumer rights activists suggested the government run the fair price shops at the local level to provide relief to the consumers.

They asked the government to make arrangements for operating FMTC outlets in each local level regularly.

On the occasion, FMTC has brought into operation a fortified rice plant established with the help of the World Food Programme at its Thapathali depot.