More Nepali people have plunged into food insecurity as inflation soared to 13.5 percent in September-October from 7 percent last year, the government and humanitarian agencies have reported.
According to Wednesday's The Kathmandu Post, rising inflation has taken a heavy toll on the people's purchasing capacity and made them food insecure. Closure of sections of the East-West Highway and floods along the Karnali Highway have aggravated the food crisis in parts of the country that are food deficit districts.
"Mainly districts in the mid- and far-western hills and mountains continue to face significant problems of food insecurity," said a joint statement released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, the United Nations World Food Program, the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry and other organizations.
The statement issued here Tuesday noted that prices of red lentil, black gram and wheat in particular have risen in most markets.
The price of wheat, the second major food grain of Nepali people, is likely to stay on the high side until the next harvest in April 2009. The price of maize, which had decreased following the September harvest, has also started to go up.
The private sector and humanitarian agencies have further noted that the supply of commodities continues to be affected.
Source: Xinhua
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