The recommendation comes amid increasing dependency of remote hilly districts on external supplies and rising transportation cost. [break]
The government had formed a team under Chandra Ghimire, joint secretary at the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies (MoCS), to conduct field study and recommend measures to address the perennial shortage of food in Karnali zone.
The panel has recommended the government to implement ´Comprehensive Karnali Development Plan´ as a long-term plan within five months and adopt other immediate measures on short-term basis.
The government can´t take the responsibility of providing subsidy to transport food grains indefinitely without any concrete plan to make local people independent, the panel noted. We have recommended the government to completely phase out transport subsidy, Ghimire told myrepublica.com on Monday.
The panel has also suggested upgrading the standard of major roads to different districts of Karnali so as to ensure transportation of food throughout the year. Though Karnali has been connected to national road network, vehicles can ply on the roads hardly for six or seven months a year.
Noting that lack of sufficient production is the major cause behind rising food deficit in the region, the panel has suggested executing irrigation programs to boost agriculture production in Sinja Valley -- major production area in the zone.
“There should be an integrated package for commercial farming with contract farming -- where government will find market for local agricultural produce,” said Ghimire said. The committee also underlined the need to change food habit of local people by encouraging production and consumption of indigenous food grains.
“The government should also encourage cultivation of high-value agro-products and develop tourism activities in Sinja Valley to increase income level of local people and strengthen their purchasing power,” he added. He also suggested encourage intra-regional trade to accelerate economic activities in the region.
Under the immediate and short-term measures, the panel has suggested the government to put in place a monitoring system and introduce food demand system under realistic projection, keeping in view the real position of the concerned districts in term of food production capacity and number of people.
“We have also felt the necessity to maintain transparency in delivery of goods and promote e-bidding while awarding contract to deliver goods to ensure fair selection of transport companies and reduce transport cost,” he further added.
The panel has also suggested utilizing local co-operatives for distribution of food grains instead of increasing number of depots in the zone. The panel has recommended the government to immediately open a new depot in Mugu district and expand existing depots in Surkhet and Jumla districts.
The panel has also suggested distribution of subsidized food on the basis of house-hold survey in concerned districts. It has suggested increasing monthly quota of food to 7 kg per family from existing 5 kg.
Ghimire said the panel has already forwarded its recommendations to MoCS, Ministry of Finance and National Planning Commission.
“We have suggested the government to include the programs recommended by the panel in the upcoming budget,” Ghimire said.
prabhakar@myrepublica.com
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