Fair price shops begin operations

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Sept. 16: As per the government plan to provide relief by selling essential items at discount rates to the consumers during the festival, fair price shops have come into operation across the country since Monday.

The public enterprises - Food Management and Trading Company (FMTC) and Salt Trading Corporation (STC), have opened discount shops through their office depots, dealers in capital and beyond. 

Consumers can buy essential items at a discount from the fair price shops until Chhath festival.

As the festivities, including Dashain, Tihar and Chhath approach, both public institutions are operating fair price shops in more than four dozen districts, including the Kathmandu Valley.

Chief Executive Officer of FMTC Ramesh Acharya said that the FMTC has begun selling essential goods at discounted rates from its outlets inside and outside the Kathmandu Valley from Monday morning.

"We are operating the fair price shops from today as per the earlier decision of the government. After the opening of the fair price shops, consumers have started coming to the shop from early morning," he told The Rising Nepal.

He said that the fair price shops have been brought into operation from four sales centres in the Kathmandu Valley and 111 sales outlets across the country.

According to him, there was no formal programme for operating the shops this year likely to the previous years.

As the stock of foods is enough at the FMTC, there will be smooth supply of food grains across the country, he said.

Meanwhile, as per the decision of the government earlier, the STC has also started selling goods of daily necessities from its outlets across the country from today itself, said CEO of STC Urmila Shrestha.

She urged the consumers to purchase the essential goods from the discounted shops inside and outside the Kathmandu Valley.

“The aim of the fair price shops is to provide quality goods at discounted rates and control the artificial price hikes during the high-demand season of daily essential food items in festivals,” she said.

Shrestha expressed her hope that the people would get maximum relief from the purchase of essential goods at discounted rates and also help control artificial price hikes of goods by the private traders during the festivals.

The STC operates fair price shops in Kalimati, Satungal, Jawalakhel, Koteshwor, Sifal, Kapan, Balaju, Sallaghari, Kaushaltar, Kadaghari, Imadol and Maharajgunj in Kathmandu valley.

Similarly, the STC is also planning to operate these mobile shops to ease the consumers to purchase essential goods at discounted rates, said Shrestha. 

Similarly, outside the valley, STC also fair price shops in Dhangadhi, Tikapur and Attariya in Kailali, Belauri in Kanchanpur, Dipayal in Doti, Surkhet, Birtamod in Jhapa, Biratnagar in Morang, Rajbiraj in Saptari, Lahan in Siraha, Janakpur in Dhanusha, Birgunj in Parsa, Hetauda in Makawanpur, Narayangadh in Chitwan, and Trishuli in Nuwakot.

CEO Acharya said that the FMCT would operate the fair prices shops smoothly and asked the consumers to visit the shops and purchase goods.

He said that FMTC started selling essential goods at discounted rates through its outlets in 45 districts, including in Jhapa, Taplejung, Morang, Bhojpur, Sankhuwasabha, Solukhumbu, Okhaldhunga, Lalilpur, Rasuwa, Kaski, Tanahun, Gorkha, Lamjung, Manang, Mustang, Rupandehi, Banke, Dang, Bardiya, Khotang, Siraha, Dhanusha, Parsa, Kathmandu, Dailekh, Dolpa, Gulmi, Rolpa, Rukum East, Rukum West, Kalikot, Humla, Kailali and Dadeldhura. 

Customers get discount from Rs. 5 to Rs. 10 per kg/litre

 Through the fair price shops, the FMTC is selling all types of rice, wheat grains, sugar and pulses with a discount of Rs. 5 per kilogram. 

Likewise, FMTC has made arrangement of Rs. 7 per kilogram discount for beaten rice and flour. The consumers can purchase cumin, coriander and tea leaves at a discount of Rs. 10 per kilogram.

The government has made arrangements to provide a discount of Rs. 7 per litre on mustard oil, sunflower oil and soybean oil, and Rs. 10 per kilogram on Karnali beans and buckwheat seed, chino, kaguno, uwa and Jumli marsi rice.

Similarly, STC has made arrangements to provide a discount of Rs. 2 per kilogram on salt, Rs. 5 per kilogram on sugar, and Rs. 7 per kilogram each on oil, flour and pulses. 

FMTC not to sell goats this year

In view of the current situation, FMTC has postponed preparations for the sale of goats and mountain goats during Dashain this year, Acharya said.

"We had stopped the process of selling goats during the festival this year. Earlier, FMTC had also started online booking for goat purchases. That has also been stopped," he said.

Stating that the company has received online bookings for 50 goats, he said the company will refund the money to customers who booked online.

The FMTC has been selling live goats in Kathmandu during the festive season for the past couple of years with the aim of controlling artificial price rise during Dashain, when demand for meat is high.