Shuichi Sakakibara, deputy chief of mission at Japanese Embassy in Kathmandu, formally handed over the rice to Commerce Secretary Lalmani Joshi amid a program organized in Kathmandu.[break]
Japan handed over the rice to the state-owned food supplier under its Food Assistance Program 2010. Under the program, Japan has been providing food worth Rs 1 billion Japanese Yen (around Rs 880 million) to Nepal every year.
Sakakibara said the rice has already reached NFC depots in the capital as well as in Nepalgunj, Surkhet and Birgunj.
Japan has been providing food assistance to Nepal since 1970. It has been providing 131,596 tons of rice and 24,300 tons of wheat to Nepal every year.
“Around 45 percent of the rice received from Japan will be distributed from our depot in Birgunj. Similarly, 25 percent will be distributed from Nepalgunj, 15 percent from Surkhet and remaining 15 percent from Kathmandu,” said Hari Narayan Sah, director general of NFC.
NFC plans to sell the rice provided by Japan at subsidized rate. According to Sah, the amount collected by selling the rice will be deposited in the government´s Socio-Economic Fund.
Sah said NFC´s Nepalgunj and Surkhet depots will send rice to districts in mid and far western regions. “Our Birgunj depot will supply rice to district in the eastern region, while the Kathmandu depot will send rice to Dolpa and Humla, among others,” said Sah.
Last year, the government had supplied 172,290 tons of rice to different remote districts. Of the rice supplied to remote districts, 136,750 quintal was sold. It had sold 46,290 tons in Kathmandu and other easily accessible districts.
NFC has distributed 28,350 quintals of rice in 23 remote districts in this fiscal year so far. It targets to sell 92,900 quintals of rice in this fiscal year.
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