Besides stock of Nepal Food Corporation (NFC) and stock of 4,000 tons allocated for SAARC Food Bank, there is no special arrangement of buffer stock of food grains in the country. [break]
“It is the responsibility of the government to maintain sufficient stock of cereal grains, including rice, to deal with scarcity of food due to natural calamities and other eventualities. The government should maintain at least 100,000 ton in buffers stock which is sufficient to feed at least 2 percent of total population,” said Dr Deva Bhakta Shakya, food security expert at Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI).
Shakya also suggested upgrading existing warehouse system and strengthen NFC´s management system as well as encouraging private sector to assist the government in reserving certain portion of their stocks for government´s use and during emergency purpose.
Shakya was presenting a working paper on ´Food Crisis and Distribution System in Nepal´ at an interaction organized by FNCCI in the capital.
He further suggested that the government initiate periodic forecasting of domestic requirements and review of national and international trade at least thrice a year.
On the back of soaring price of food commodities due to high transport cost, he also suggested five measures including, investment in basic transport infrastructure, abolishing transport syndicate, modernizing food grain storage capacity through investment, among others.
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